


That Golden Fighter

by Gotrix, Marorin5



Series: Stories of Our Lives [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fights, Friendship, Gohan Has a Sister, Goku Didn't Stay Dead, Humor, Planet Vegeta Still Exists, Post-Majin Buu Saga, Romance, Saiyans Are Alive, Secret Identity, Team as Family, Teen Crush, Tournaments, Unrequited Love, Videl Really Wants to Find Out Gohan's Secrets, Z-Fighters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-07-24 06:19:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 176,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7497363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gotrix/pseuds/Gotrix, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marorin5/pseuds/Marorin5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knew he was different the moment her eyes landed on him. She knew he was not like everyone else. For some reason, she just could not shake that feeling off—the feeling he had something to do with the Golden Fighter. She promises herself she will uncover his secrets. But as she learns more about him, she realizes that in the end, he is not that different from her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Secrets to Uncover

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my pride and joy, at least when it comes to fics. You may or may not know it from fanfiction.net, but it's been published there for a while. I began writing this two years ago, and I'm still not done. I decided to publish it here as well, because why not? XD I feel like this story shows my development as a writer these last two years. For the people who have never read this story before, maybe you'll notice how my writing has evolved. Hopefully, it's getting better. XD
> 
> This story occurs in an AU. Basically, Frieza didn't destroy Planet Vegeta, but instead he destroyed its surface so it would serve as a reminder for the universe of what would happen if people didn't obey him. Saiyans hid in underground tunnels made by the Tuffles (thanks to Bardock and his visions), and they survived. Goku was sent to Earth before this happened, but he spent five years on Planet Vegeta before leaving to Earth (basically Dragon Ball Minus, and the funny thing is, I thought of this before that was released XD). 
> 
> Pretty much everything happened like it did in Dragon Ball, but with some few differences. Goku never forgot his past, but he lived the life of an Earthling. He also has a daughter, Son Chimaki, who is around five years younger than Gohan. Planet Vegeta's surface was restored with the Dragon Balls after the Frieza saga, and the Saiyans went back to their planet. Goku did die during the Cell Games, but he was revived. And in this AU, the Majin Buu saga happened before Gohan went to school, just for the sake of the plot. XD Trust me, I got plans. 
> 
> This story begins about two months before the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. 
> 
> I apologize for the huge author's note! Hopefully it helped to make this easier to understand though. I've really made an effort to make this story as interesting and entertaining as possible. I hope I succeeded! :)

She didn't get him. He was not a normal guy—that she knew. She knew he was hiding something. They had only known each other for a week, but Videl Satan knew Son Gohan had secrets. Mysterious secrets. She just knew it. And she had many facts to prove her point.

The time of his appearance was weird in the first place. There was this new hero in town known as the "Golden Fighter". This hero was said to look like a blond-haired teenager that had superpowers. Some even said he was the Cell Games' famous Delivery Boy as a teenager. Videl didn't want to believe it, but it sounded pretty logical.

At the Cell Games, the Delivery Boy looked as a boy around nine or ten, eleven years old maximum. He actually looked like a boy her age. In these seven years, he should have grown as well, right? But why would he come back now? To defeat criminals? To save the day? She was already there, and she could do things on her own, no sweat! So why did that guy butt into others' business? But back to the point; Gohan had appeared in school like any normal student. That was true. But he appeared only _ten_ days after the Golden Fighter's first appearance!

It could've been coincidence, but Videl didn't believe it. The fact the Golden Fighter _and_ Gohan were wearing the same clothes was no coincidence. The only problem was Gohan was not blond. Then again, those guys in the clips of the Cell Games weren't blonds, but they could turn their hair blond instantly. But her father had said those were just tricks…

Also, he didn't say much about himself. Well, that wasn't that _bad_ , but still; why wouldn't he want to tell people about himself? The only thing she knew was he lived with his parents, his twelve-year-old sister and his seven-year-old brother at the 439 East District. _439 East District!_ That place was five hours away by car! Yet he came to school every day like it was nothing! It was so bizarre.

Another thing was the baseball game incident. That same day Gohan made his appearance, in Physical Education, they were told to play baseball. Gohan ended up in her team. The thing was, when Sharpner was sure to make a home run, Gohan just jumped eight meters and got the ball! _Eight meters!_ He said it had to do with some new shoes he had, but somehow she didn't buy it just like everyone else did. Then when it was his turn to bat, and he did a home run. Where did the ball end up? No one knows.

She still remembered that day. The day Gohan entered to her life. That was only a week ago, yet it felt it has been so long. She remembered perfectly when the wild haired young man entered her classroom and introduced himself.

_"Attention, class!" the voice of the teacher called. "Today, we'll give the welcome to a new classmate—a classmate that_ actually _knows to read and write. He had perfect score in all the entry exams. You might want to learn a few things from him."_

_Videl blinked. A new classmate? She shrugged. Just a normal guy, no doubt. Well, not normal… The teacher said he had perfect score on all his entry exams. Videl sighed. A nerd, no doubt. All the class was muttering about the new classmate—or as they considered him—a nerd._

_"If he had perfect score then he is obviously a nerd," Sharpner said with a sigh._

_"Aw, don't be so sure!" Erasa said. "He might be a nice guy! He may even become your friend, Sharpie!"_

_"Yeah, whatever," Sharpner muttered, obviously not believing that._

_"That's your cue, young man," the teacher said. A teenager came in. Videl blinked. Well, she wasn't expecting_ this _for a guy who had perfect scores on his exam. He didn't look like a nerd. He looked just… like a normal guy. Well, somewhat. He had wild, unruly, black hair and black eyes. He had somewhat pale skin. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with grey pants and black sneakers. Also, he wore some kind of… furry… belt around his waist. She had to admit, he was kind of handsome… Kind of._

_"Hello. My name is Gohan. Son Gohan," the teenager introduced himself. "Nice to meet all of you."_

_"What kind of name is Gohan?" a jock asked in a whisper. Videl heard that comment, but she didn't mind. Her mind was elsewhere. 'He seems familiar,' Videl thought. 'But where have I seen him?'_

_"Alright, my boy, you can pick a seat so we can begin our class," the teacher said to Gohan._

_"Sure," he said with a smile. He then turned, looking with his eyes for an empty seat._

_Erasa stood up. "Hey, cutie!" she called. Gohan glanced at her. "Here's a seat," she said, pointing the seat right besides of her._

_"Oh, thanks!" Gohan smiled and walked towards the seat. When he arrived, he smiled at Erasa. "Thanks for the seat," he said._

_"No problem. I'm Erasa, with an E!" Erasa introduced herself. "The girl sittin' besides me is my best friend, Videl. And the boy over there is my other friend, Sharpner."_

_Gohan smiled as he sat on the chair._ _"Nice to meet you!"_

_"Same," Sharpner replied. "You don't look like someone to have perfect score on all the entry exams. You surprised me, Brains."_

_Gohan chuckled. "Heh. Well, let's just say I had a strict teacher."_

_"Hey, Gohan! Let me tell you who Videl's pops is! You'll be surprised," Erasa said happily._

_"Really? Who is it?" Gohan asked._

_"The one and only, Hercule Satan!"_ _Erasa replied._

_"What? Mr. Satan!" Gohan replied amazed. 'He has a daughter? She is his daughter?_ _What the heck? She looks nothing like Mr. Satan!'_

_"See! You were surprised!" Erasa said with a grin._

_"Well, yeah," Gohan replied. "I mean, it sure would be nice to be related to a celebrity and all."_

_"Yup. Of course, being the friend of a celebrity isn't that bad either," she said with a wink. "Though Sharpner and I used to hang out with Videl way before her dad saved the world. What can I say? We all owe him. Without him, everyone would've been killed by either Cell or now by that wizard who played with people's minds."_

_"Good thing Hercule gave them both what they deserved," Sharpner stated._

_"Yeah, I guess…" Gohan replied, not really happy all the hard work he and his friends did was thrown into the dust._

_"But, enough about Videl and her dad. Let's talk about you," Erasa suggested. "So, say, in what school you were before coming here?"_

_"None, really. Actually, I was homeschooled," Gohan stated._

_"Really? Well look at that!" Erasa said with a giggle. "Do you live at an apartment in the city or somewhere else?"_

_"Nah. I live at home with my parents and my two siblings."_

_"You have siblings?" Erasa asked._

_Gohan nodded. "A younger sister and brother."_

_Erasa smiled. "Aw! How old are they?"_

_"My sister's twelve right now, and my brother's seven."_

_Erasa giggled. "Aw, how cute! I'd love to meet them someday. Say, where do you live at?"_

_"I live in the 439 East District, in Mount Paozu," Gohan stated._

_"What!" Erasa cried as she stood up. "439 East District in Mount Paozu?!_ _You live there?!"_

_"Miss Erasa!" the teacher's voice boomed. "I understand you'd like to get to know your new classmate but could you please not do it in the middle of class?"_

_Erasa quickly reacted. She sat down quickly and hid behind her book. "That's five hours away by car," Erasa stated in a whisper. "How do you do it?"_

_"Oh, that…" Gohan laughed nervously. "I've got a family friend that live there but works here. He has a jetcopter, so he brings me every day._ _He is a really nice guy," Gohan lied._

_"He sure sounds like it," Erasa agreed._

_"You're lucky he brings you here, or you'd take ages," Sharpner commented._

_"Yeah, I am, aren't I?"_

_"Now I know who you are!" Videl butted into the conversation suddenly._

_"Huh?" Gohan, Erasa and Sharpner asked in unison._

_"You're that guy I talked to after the bank robbery this morning!" Videl stated._

_"We talked? Oh, yeah! Now I remember! Woah, I can't believe we meet again! Crazy, huh?" Gohan grinned at her._

_Videl nodded. "I guess."_

_"You mean, after the Golden Fighter appeared?"_ _Erasa asked._

_"Golden Fighter?" Gohan blinked._

_"You don't know? Well, I guess it's because you live so far away you're out of the gossip loop. You see, ten days ago a hero with golden hair appeared out of nowhere. It is said he looked like a teenager like us, but with super-strength and powers. Up to now, he's only appeared three times. No one knows who he is or what he is called. Some people say he is the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games all grown up. It's a real mystery who that guy is."_

_"Woah…" Videl noted Gohan seemed kind of nervous for some reason. "How weird! I wonder who he is?" he lied._

_"Hey," Videl called. "Some guy that saw the Golden Fighter this morning told me how he looked like. He had a black shirt, grey pants, and black sneakers." Gohan looked down at his clothes, realizing that was the description of his clothes. "Sound familiar?" Videl asked._

_"Uh…"_

_"Woah, look at that! What a coincidence! You and the Golden Fighter must have similar likes!" Erasa said, oblivious to her best friend's suspicions._

_"Yeah! What a coincidence!" Gohan lied. "I mean, I never thought I dressed up like a superhero would! Man!"_

_Sharpner wondered why Videl would point out that with such… suspicion in her voice. Then it hit him. "Wait, Videl… You didn't really think Gohan is the Golden Fighter, right?" he asked. "I mean, he isn't even blond!"_

_"Yeah, that's right," Gohan agreed, happy for the help Erasa and Sharpner were unknowingly giving him._

_'That's true,' Videl thought. 'But those guys in the videos of the Cell Games could turn their hair blonde, too. Then again, Dad said those were just some tricks. But still…' She gave one last glance to her new classmate before turning her attention to the class._

And for the past week she'd been trying to find out more about both the Golden Fighter and Son Gohan. She just couldn't help but think they were connected somehow.

Gohan was an enigma. He wasn't normal. And for some reason, she just had to know why he was so different. She just _had_ to. Don't get her wrong; Gohan had been nice to her for the past week and she saw him as a friend, but she still thought he was hiding something—something big. And she wouldn't stop until she had her answers.

_'Just wait, Gohan,'_ Videl thought, glancing at Gohan, who was paying attention to class. _'I'll find out what you're hiding, and what your relationship with the Golden Fighter is. And I won't give up until I have my answers._ _I'll uncover your secrets no matter what it takes!'_


	2. Families and Mall Trips

Normal. That's a word he had got to admit he didn't know too well. What is normal? What can be classified as normal? Something classified as usual and typical. But something usual and typical for you, or usual and typical for everyone else? He didn't know. In some place, something was normal; yet in another place the same thing was rare! How come this world is so complicated? He just didn't get it. He just knew that in _that_ place the weird one was _him_. _He_ was the weird one while everyone else were just some normal teenagers. Seriously, was he the only half-breed between two races from different planets, that was a member of warriors who protected the world, and that has travelled to space to face a universal tyrant responsible to kill billions of people and almost kill his father's race, and that has faced killer androids and a bubble gum like pink monster?

…Probably.

Gohan sighed. Even though he was born, was raised and still lived on Earth, he didn't understand Earthlings completely. And it wasn't as he didn't know other people. The problem was that those other people weren't exactly 'normal' as well! Sure they were Earthlings… that hung out with aliens and were part of the Earth's Special Forces.

Gohan shifted his eyes towards the window. Sometimes, he felt he lived on a science-fiction movie, with him and the Z-Fighters being the main characters. Though being a Z-Warrior had its advantages. Even when it came to literature it was an advantage. For example, he was one of the few people who knew Tights Briefs' famous science-fiction books were actually based on the adventures—or maybe, _misadventures_ —her little sister, Bulma, had with her friends, Gohan included. Where do you think the idea of that _wizard_ who helped a human that fought with _aliens_ and could transform to a _dragon_ at will came from?

For the last seven years, Gohan's life has been a calm, good life. Sure, there were some little battles here and there but nothing mayor. At least until Majin Buu arrived. The popular belief was Majin Buu never really existed in real life but was an illusion a wizard did as he played with people's mind, making them believe that a monster named Buu was destroying everything, and that they were killed. Most people thought that when Mr. Satan defeated the wizard, the wizard released their minds and they appeared in the same they place they were standing when they were 'killed'. Gohan shook his head. Oh, how wrong they were. At least, there were people like Suno and Upa that didn't believe in those lies and instead knew the truth.

Gohan didn't get how Mr. Satan managed to get in everyone's head he defeated Cell _and_ Majin Buu, _and moreover_ managing to make people believe Ki-based attacks were 'tricks'. It was insane. Gohan guessed Earth was one of the very few planets were most of the population didn't believe in Ki. Really, how did the man pull that off?

But, right now, more than thinking how Hercule managed to convince everyone about his lies, he should think how did his mother convince him to come to school? He didn't even remember if it was the arguments she gave him, or _the_ almighty Frying Pan of Doom. Maybe it was both of them. Arguments about having a better education, more friends his age other than Lime, Dende or the teenage Saiyans. And, of course, the Frying Pan. Goodness, nothing beats that frying pan…

He had given in, and went to school. His mother and Bulma had told him to hide his strength and powers, and to keep his tail hidden. He decided to follow their orders, but still felt as he needed more advice. So, he went to talk to Lime.

_"You? To school? You've got to be kiddin' me!" Lime laughed. "What the heck? Why are you goin'? You're a smart as hell right now. I say you know more than th' teachers there. Why did you even agree to go, Gohan?"_

_"Mom gave some pretty good arguments and… frying pan," he said with a shiver._

_Lime laughed. "Of course it was the frying pan! Nothing can stop the almighty Frying Pan of Doom!"_

_"But, seriously, Lime. I need help here!" Gohan said. "I mean, really. How the hell do I even act? I dunno how to be a 'normal' guy."_

_"Don't worry 'bout it. Just be yourself," Lime advised. "You'll make some friends, and if they're trustworthy, then you can tell 'em the truth step by step. Not all at the same time of course. But for now, make sure to keep hidden that tail of yours and the powers. Oh, and try not to slip anything about the Cell Games and Majin Buu."_

_"Yeah, I know that much," Gohan replied._

_"Well, it's to be sure," Lime replied with a grin. "When it's about you, no one knows."_

_"Ha, ha," Gohan laughed sarcastically._ _"But seriously, thanks Lime. I needed that advice."_

_"Aw, no prob, bro! That's what friends are for!" Lime said smiling._

And so he agreed. Everything was fine. Until his first day arrived, and he came to know his alter-ego—the so called "Golden Fighter"—was famous here in the city. Erasa had told him the Golden Fighter appeared only three times in ten days. And those three times were when he came to get information about the school, when he gave the exam and his first day of school.

In order to prevent being captured, Gohan went to Bulma's and asked her something to help him change of clothes quickly so he could fight bad guys and don't get captured. She gave him a watch that could change clothes instantly. So, know the Golden Fighter was not dressed as Son Gohan. Now he wore black combat boots, jeans, and a red jacket with a white undershirt. There was no way somebody would suspect his clothing now.

For the last week, it's been fine, really. He had made three friends already—Videl, Erasa and Sharpner. He was happy about that. But he couldn't help but feel nervous considering Videl was there. For some reason, Hercule's daughter seemed suspicious about him. She thought he was the Golden Fighter. Sad fact, she was right. The first day, Gohan had to admit; he had screwed up a lot and let out clues for Videl to found out his identity. But for the next days, he was more careful. But, still, Videl seemed somewhat suspicious about him.

Videl Satan was an enigma for him. He just didn't understand what was going on in that girl's mind. From what he could guess, she was a firm believer of Mr. Satan's lies and he couldn't really blame her considering she was his daughter. He also knew she fought crime. In fact, he had helped her as the Golden Fighter two or three times. That was another thing. For some weird reason, she seemed to hate the Golden Fighter. Gohan just didn't get it. Why hate someone that has saved your life and helped you?

She didn't seem to like help in general. Maybe it was her pride or something. But damn, even the proud, arrogant Vegeta knew there were situations where you will need a helping hand. Another thing was she seemed to want to find out who the Golden Fighter is more than anything. It wasn't like everyone else that was just curious of whom the guy was. No. She wanted to uncover the guy herself. And it seemed she thought he knew something. Well, he did, but that's another story.

Gohan blinked and concentrated on class trying not to fell asleep. Kami-sama, this class was boring. He already knew practically everything the teacher was saying. Then again, the teacher himself was boring. He was serious and didn't really have a sense of humor. He was a black haired man with a mustache that knew how to make students fall asleep. Apparently, he was the typical teacher who preferred to do things the classical and boring way.

Suddenly, he felt someone's eyes on him. He turned to see Videl glancing at him. When their eyes met, hers widened and looked away. Was it him, or he cheeks were a little red for some reason? He shrugged and turned his attention to the class again.

* * *

 Gohan, Videl, Erasa and Sharpner sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria. The three full-blooded humans watched as Gohan pretty much inhaled his mountain of food. Although they've been seeing Gohan eat for a whole week they still were not able to get used to it. Gohan had told them it was a family thing. They thought that made sense. Still, they all wondered, where the hell did the guy store all that food?

"Hey, guys," Erasa spoke up. "What if we go to the mall tomorrow after school?"

"The mall?" Videl, Gohan and Sharpner asked in unison.

"Yeah!"

"But we went to the mall two weeks ago," Sharpner complained.

"Yeah, but we went to Satan City's mall. Let's go to West City's mall!" Erasa said.

Gohan sweat-dropped. "Erasa, West City is even farther away from here than my home."

"I know." Erasa shrugged. "But we can always use Videl's Jet Copter. Right, Videl?"

"Yeah, I guess," Videl replied. "Though my Jet Copter is only for two people."

"I guess that means we can't go to West City," Sharpner concluded, obviously wanting to get away from the 'shopping adventure'.

"That doesn't matter." Erasa was not backing down. "There may be only two seats, but two of us can sit on the floor. C'mon, guys! I really wanna go to the mall! Please~!" And so, Erasa used her ultimate technique; Puppy Dog's Eyes.

_'Damn Erasa and damn her Puppy Dog's Eyes!'_ Sharpner sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll go."

Videl sighed. She hated when Erasa did that. "I'm guessing I'm going too."

Erasa turned to Gohan. "What 'bout you, Gohan? You're coming with us, right?" she asked with her Puppy Dog's Eyes.

"Uh…"

"Listen, if we're goin', then _you're_ goin' as well, Gohan!" Sharpner said.

Gohan sighed. "Oh, fine. I'll go too."

"Alright!" Erasa cheered. "Tomorrow, after class, we'll be going to West City's mall!"

* * *

Gohan landed at his home with a little 'thud'. First thing that happened; the front door slammed open and out came a little orange bullet. "Gohan!" Goten giggled as he tackled his brother. "You'refinallyhome!Howwasschooltoday?Whatdidyoudo?Didyouhavefun?C'mon!Tellme!Tellme!" the younger brother of Gohan asked so quick someone normal would have not been able to understand. But Gohan, who have lived with Goten ever since the little demon was born, understood perfectly.

"School was like always. I didn't do that much. Just sit there and listen to the teachers, and hang out with my friends at break. I didn't have fun at class, but breaks were fine," Gohan replied.

"In other words, school was just fine today," a voice said. Gohan and Goten both looked to the front door to see their father leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a grin.

"Daddy!" Goten said happily.

"Hey, Dad!" Gohan greeted.

"Hey, Gohan!" Goku replied. "So, are you gonna come in now? Or you plannin' to stay outside?"

"I guess I prefer coming in," Gohan said with a grin and walked along with Goten inside the house.

They walked into the kitchen to find Chi-Chi already cooking dinner. Chimaki was with her, helping her with the cooking. "Hey, Mom! Hey, ‘Maki!" Gohan greeted happily.

"Hi Gohan!" Chimaki greeted happily.

"Hello, Gohan. How was school today?" Chi-Chi asked.

"It was fine," he replied. "At least I didn't screw up so much like the first day," he added with a chuckle.

Chi-Chi chuckled. "That's good."

"When will dinner be ready, Mommy?" Goten asked. "I'm really hungry!"

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, Goten," she replied. "Hey, can you guys help me put the table please?"

"Sure, hon," Goku said.

After putting the table, the family sat to eat. The four Saiyans practically inhaled their food while Chi-Chi shook her head at her family's lack of manners. After doing the dishes, the whole family went to the living room to watch some TV. Gohan then remembered he had to tell his parents about the trip to the mall.

"Oh, by the way, I told my friends that I'll go to West City's Mall with them tomorrow after school. You guys don't mind, right?" Gohan asked.

"To the West City's Mall?" Chi-Chi blinked. "Since when you like to go to the mall?"

"I don't, really, but Erasa wanted to go," Gohan explained. "She's the only one of the group that likes to shop, anyways."

Goku chuckled. "Well, son, I wish you luck. Just hope she ain't like your Mom when she's shoppin'," he joked.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi playfully hit Goku's shoulder.

Gohan laughed. "Yeah, I hope so," he joked. Gohan smiled happily. He adored his family. There was his father, Son Goku or Kakarot, an Earth-raised Saiyan, the first Super Saiyan after a thousand years, the Z-Fighters' leader and one of the strongest fighters in the Universe. His mother, Chi-Chi, was the Ox-Princess, who had a fierce personality and a short temper, and though she just a human, she was pretty strong woman and she could scare even the most powerful warriors with her infamous almighty Frying Pan of Doom. His sister, Son Chimaki, was an energetic, somewhat tomboyish, girl. His brother, Son Goten, was an innocent, happy-go-lucky, mischievous and cheerful carbon-copy of their father. And they weren't all his family. There were his paternal grandparents, Bardock and Gine and his maternal grandfather, the Ox-King. There also were his uncle, Raditz, and his aunt Tanip. Not to mention his aunt-in-law, Kyuri, and uncle-in-law Mato. And his three cousins, Daikon (Raditz and Kyuri's), Pia and Kytsu (Mato and Tanip's). They weren't exactly your average family, though Gohan wouldn't change them for the world.

* * *

"Dad, I'll arrive later tomorrow," Videl told her father at dinner.

"What? Why?" Mr. Satan asked.

"I'll go to West City's Mall with Erasa, Sharpner and Gohan after school. Erasa made her Puppy Dog’s Eyes to us so neither of us could say no."

"Sure, you can go, Videl," Hercule allowed. Then, the names Videl mentioned came into his head for some reason and he realized there was name he never heard before! "Wait! Who's this Go’an?"

"It's Gohan, Dad," Videl corrected. "And he's just a new guy that came to our school a week ago. He's been hanging out with us and he's really nice." _'Also, I think he is the Golden Fighter. But I won't tell Dad that.'_

"He's a guy?" Satan asked. "Oh, no! Videl, you know you can't date any guy unless he's stronger than me!"

"I know that, Dad! And don't worry; Gohan and I are just friends. No biggie." Videl knew her father's rule basically prevented her to date anyone because there was no one as strong as her father—or at least, that's what she thought. But she didn't mind. She knew her father only did that to protect her and besides, she didn't want to date any boy just yet.

"If you say so," Hercule said, though not a hundred percent convinced. He then just shrugged it off and continued to eat with his daughter. His daughter never lied to him, and as far as he knew, she wasn't interested in anyone. Besides, there was no way this 'Gohan' guy was stronger than him—unless, of course, he was one of those Golden Warriors from the Cell Games, which Mr. Satan doubted. So there was nothing to worry about.

* * *

The next day, after class, Gohan and the others went to West City in Videl's Jet Copter. While Erasa and Videl were sitting comfortably on the seats, Gohan and Sharpner had to sit on the floor, uncomfortable due to the lack of space. Much to Gohan's and Sharpner's happiness, they finally arrived to West City. They walked some streets until they finally arrived to West City's mall.

Erasa almost drooled at all the shops the mall had to offer. Oh, goodness! This was paradise! There were shops for fashion, clothes, shoes and accessories everywhere! As Erasa admired the shops, Sharpner searched for something with his eyes. When he found it, his eyes lit up. There it was! There was the Sports Shop. There he would be able to buy equipment for his training! Perfect! Gohan, who had come before with his friends and family, was trying to remember in which direction the Food Court was. Videl didn't even bother to look at the shops, knowing Erasa would drag them to all of them, anyways.

Erasa smiled and pointed at the first shop, a fashion shop. "Let's go to that one, guys!"

"Nah. I'll pass. I'm gonna go to the Sports Shop," Sharpner said, obviously not wanting to go to that particular shop.

"You know… I think I'll go with Sharpner," Gohan said, also trying to evade going into that shop.

"Fine with me. Sorry, but you two gotta go alone. Gohan and I will go to the Sports Shop," Sharpner said.

"Oh, no you won't!" Erasa said. "You're staying _right_ here, and you're coming with us, yes or _yes_!" Erasa's glare made Gohan and Sharpner gulp.

"You guys should know there's no way to escape shopping with Erasa. Or at least you should know, Sharpner," Videl stated with a smirk.

Gohan and Sharpner glanced at each other. Both of them let out a long, defeated sigh and gave in.

Shopping with Erasa was crazy and downright exhausting. She wanted to go to _every_ shop and she liked absolutely _everything_. Gohan started to wonder if it was a good idea of even coming in the first place. As they walked out from a shop to another one (much to Gohan's, Videl's and Sharpner's disappointment), someone that was walking around in the mall happened to recognize one of the teenagers in the group.

"Gohan, it's you! Long time no see! How have you been, man?" a voice asked, making the group of teenagers to turn around. Gohan recognized the person immediately. He couldn't believe that from all places he'd see _him_ here, in a mall. It was pretty rare for them to run into each other here. But right now, Gohan didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.


	3. Family Friends

"S-Seventeen?" Gohan asked, not quite believing his eyes.

"The one and only," the black-haired Artificial Human replied with a smirk. Gohan's face was priceless and he knew why. Since when does Android #17 go a mall after all?

"Wh… What are you doin' here?" Gohan asked. The half-Saiyan felt he just _needed_ to know what reason, or which person, was the one that managed to bring Number 17 from _all_ people to the mall. He was so surprised to find _him_ in a mall from all people he completely forgot about his friends.

"Accompanying the shopping demon, the little antonym of angel and the cue ball to the mall, that's what," the Android said. Despite not saying the names of the people, Gohan knew whom he was referring with 'shopping demon', the 'little antonym of angel' and the 'cue ball'. He just hoped for 17's sake that the 'shopping demon' didn't hear that out.

Behind Gohan, Videl and the others were having a little conversation of their own. "Who's that guy?" Videl asked suspiciously from behind to her friends.

Erasa shrugged. "I dunno. But that guy sure is cute!" she exclaimed.

Videl sweat-dropped. "Erasa, you find every single boy cute."

"That's not true!" Erasa defended herself.

"Really?" Sharpner asked, not believing it. "Tell me one boy you don't think of as cute."

"Uhm…" Erasa looked into her mind. When had she met a boy who wasn't cute? Videl and Sharpner waited for the answer. "Well, it's not my fault we always run into cute guys," she finally replied, causing Videl and Sharpner to fall to the floor with their legs twitching in the air.

"18's gonna kill you if she finds out you called them like that," Gohan said, completely unaware of the scene going on behind him.

"Call who what?" a low, yet feminine voice asked. Both turned to where the voice came from, recognizing it instantly. Erasa, Videl and Sharpner—who had already gained their composure back—also turned to see a black-haired, no-nosed, short man, and a beautiful, petite, blonde-haired woman. Videl raised an eyebrow. Who were those guys?

"Uh… no one!" 17 lied. _'Dammit, Gohan!'_

"Huh, really? I don't believe it," Number 18 replied. "Now tell me the truth."

"It's nothing, sis. Really!"

While his wife confronted his brother-in-law, Krillin grinned and walked towards Gohan. "Hey, bro! It's been a while! Haven't seen you for some days now. How ya doin'?"

Gohan smiled. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"Fine, fine," Krillin replied with a grin. "Here forced into comin' to the mall."

Videl tapped Gohan on the shoulder. "Gohan, who are they?" she queried and pointed to the family.

"Uh? Oh! They're some family friends of mine," Gohan responded. He turned to Krillin and the others. "Guys, these are my friends from high school."

"High school?!" Krillin blinked. "Since when are _you_ going to high school?"

"Eh… Well, I started a week ago. You knew, Krillin. I told you the other day, remember? You were the most surprised, actually," Gohan said with a chuckle.

"Uh…" Krillin tried to remember. He thought about the last time he saw Gohan and his family.

_"Hey, guys, guess what?" Gohan spoke. The Earth's Special Forces were at Capsule Corporation in a get-together. Everyone had come. Even Goku's and Vegeta's families came from Planet Vegeta to Earth—which was not so hard with now-at-days technology and Goku's Instant Transmission. The children were playing hide-and-seek. The others were sitting around the barbeque, chatting about random things._

_"What?" Yamcha asked._

_"I'm goin' to high school," Gohan stated._

_Krillin spit out all the juice he was drinking and choked himself on it. Everyone was looking as Krillin desperately tried to regain his breath. When Krillin did so, he glanced at Gohan with a questioning look. "Why are you even goin' to school?" the human inquired. "Hell! I'm sure you probably know more than the teachers themselves!"_

_"I know," Gohan leaned over near Krillin and put a hand on the side of his mouth, "but Mom wants me to go, anyways. You know how she is when it comes to my studies."_

_Krillin nodded. Chi-Chi was a well-meaning woman, and a loving mother, but she was over-protective and worried too much over Gohan's studies. It was true she let Gohan train too, but she still made the kid be several years advanced when it came to studies. So why did she want to send the kid for school? Krillin shrugged. Then again, he'd never understand what was going in that woman's mind. Chi-Chi was kinda crazy, after all._

"Oh, yeah! I remember!" Krillin stated.

"Yeah. I remember you almost choked, bro," 17 stated and smirked at Krillin who glared back.

"Hey! I didn't expect that, that's all!" Krillin defended himself.

Gohan chuckled. "Well, anyways!" He pointed at Krillin. "That's my dad's best friend, Krillin. She," he pointed to Number 18, "is his wife, Eighteen. He," he pointed to Number 17, "is her twin brother, Seventeen."

"Hello," Erasa greeted happily.

Videl was in her own little world of suspicions and questions. _'Krillin? I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before, but where? And exactly what kind of names are 'Seventeen' and 'Eighteen'? Those aren't names, just numbers! Maybe those are their nicknames? Probably... But why would Gohan introduce them with their nicknames? Something's fishy here…'_

"These are my friends," Gohan continued, unaware of Videl's suspicions about his friends. "He," he pointed at Sharpner, "is Sharpner. She," he pointed at Erasa, "is Erasa. And she," he pointed at Videl, "is Videl," he said, thinking it was best not to add 'Satan' to her name. Family names were not so important these times. They were mostly used to differ people with a similar name, or to refer to a family in special. But they were not really needed when you needed documents or something. Besides, he knew Krillin was probably the Z-Fighter to dislike Mr. Satan the most, so he didn't know how he would react meeting Hercule's daughter.

"Hello!" Erasa said cheerfully. "Like Gohan here said, I'm Erasa with an E! Nice to meet you!"

"Same," 17 replied.

Videl gave a smile. "Hi. I'm Videl Satan. Nice meeting you!" For some reason, Videl noted than when she said her name, Gohan's friends faces fell.

"S… Satan?" Krillin repeated. "As in… Hercule Satan?"

Videl nodded. "I'm his daughter."

Videl was no fool. She noticed the slight grimace in the three adults' faces. "Oh… that's… nice," Krillin said uncomfortably. "I mean, bein' daughter of a… celebrity an' all. Must be pretty nice…" Videl frowned. What was the matter with them? What problem did they have with her father?

"You bet!" said Erasa, oblivious at the… _tension_ in the area.

"S-So… uh… guys?" Gohan butted in, hoping to change topics. "Where are Marron and the others?"

"They're on a kids play zone. My wife is with them," 17 replied. He had married a zoologist some few years ago and they had a child together. They had adopted two homeless children that reminded him of himself and his sister when they were kids. Even the childish Seventeen managed to have a family and be happy.

"I see," Gohan said with a grin. "Well, tell them I said hi. It was nice talkin' with you. We'll be seein' each other soon?"

"Totally!" Krillin grinned. "Well, I think we should go." Krillin looked over his shoulder at the two Androids who nodded. "Yup. We should go." He bumped fists with Gohan. "It was nice seein' you, buddy. Say hi to your dad and the others for me, will ya?"

"Sure," Gohan said with a smile.

Krillin grinned and waved. "See ya!"

"Bye," Eighteen said.

"'Til next time," Seventeen grinned.

"See ya, guys!" Gohan smiled and waved.

"Goodbye!" Erasa waved cheerfully. "It was nice meeting you!"

"Bye," Sharpner waved.

"Goodbye." Videl didn't even bother to wave. Something was suspicious about these guys. It seemed everything related to Gohan was suspicious. Why did they react like that when she told them she was Mister Satan's daughter? What were they hiding?

"So, guys, wanna grab somethin' to eat? I'm starving!" Gohan proclaimed.

"When are you _not_ hungry?" Sharpner inquired. Erasa giggled while Gohan rubbed the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly. "But, yeah. I'm hungry, too. Let's go eat something. Anybody knows were the Food Court is?"

Erasa shrugged. "I dunno."

"I don't remember well, but I think it's that direction," Gohan said and pointed to the direction he believed the Food Court was.

"Well then, let's go."

The four teenagers started to walk towards the food court. Gohan was right with where the place was. When they arrived, Erasa and Sharpner immediately went to look for something. Gohan though, could not pick what to eat. When he finally decided where he'd get his food he started walking over there. Videl noticed this and decided to follow him in order to ask him what his friends' problem was. Besides, she wanted to eat there too. So she ran after Gohan. "Hey, Gohan, wait!"

Gohan turned around and smiled. "Hey, Videl! You eating here as well?"

Videl nodded. "That's right." After a while she decided to ask him. "Gohan, I wanna ask you something."

Gohan sighed a little. _'Great. Here come the questions! I bet it has to do about Krillin an' the others,'_ he deduced in his mind. "What is it?"

"Well, it has to do with your friends," Videl stated.

_'I knew it!'_

"They… well… How can I say this?" Videl wondered to herself. "Well… to begin with, why did you call them 17 and 18? Those are numbers, not names!"

"Uh… You see, Seventeen and Eighteen are their nicknames. I have no idea how it came up, but everyone calls them that, so I'm used to call 'em that as well," Gohan explained hoping she buys it.

_'Well, that makes sense,'_ Videl realized. "I believe that one. But what are their real names?" _'Let's see if he's saying the truth.'_

Gohan blinked. "Their names? Uh..." He struggled to remember. "It's... Lapis and... Lazu... Lazuli? Yeah, that was it. Seventeen's real name is Lapis and Eighteen's Lazuli."

Well, it didn't seem like he was lying. Maybe he was speaking the truth. "I believe that. But, there's somethin' else I wanna know."

_'Why am I not surprised?'_ Gohan wondered quietly. "What is it?"

"It's about when I told them about Mr. Satan being my dad. They didn't react so… well. It was like if… like if they had a problem with my dad or something."

Gohan wasn't sure what he could answer. Should he tell the truth about Krillin and the others disliking Satan? …No. That wouldn't be right. Seriously, it just might bring more suspicions to this crazy girl. Maybe it was better covering that up as well. "Oh, that… Nah, they were just shocked, that's all! They just didn't express their shock like most people would, that's all! But then again, Krillin and the others are kinda weird."

_'There's no doubt of that,'_ Videl agreed in her mind. _'So are you, by the way. But you don't even realize it, do you? I wonder what is it what you hide. Someday I'll find out. I'm sure.'_ "Yeah, I guess you're right," she simply said. _'I didn't find out much. Though that name—Krillin—is familiar._ _I think I've heard it somewhere. But where?'_

"Mr. Satan's daughter! From all people Gohan could've befriended in school, it just had to be Mr. Satan's daughter! I swear I don't believe it!" Krillin, Seventeen and Eighteen were walking to the children's zone to meet up with 17's wife and the children. Krillin could not believe it. Kami-sama, seriously, why would Gohan from all people befriend the daughter of the phony who took his credit and threw all their efforts to the dust?

"Oh, hush, Krillin," Number 18 spoke up. "If Gohan's friends with her or not is not our business. Besides, the girl doesn't seem to be like her father. I noticed she had a pretty high Ki compared to the other humans. Maybe she's just like any other girl, who had the misfortune of being _his_ daughter."

"I, seriously, didn't see the resemblance," Number 17 commented. "She looks nothing like Satan—thanks God!"

Krillin chuckled. "Yup. You're right on that one." Then another thought came into him. "Wait! What if Gohan actually likes the girl?" he wondered.

17 laughed. "Oh, that'd be fun!"

Krillin grinned mischievously. "Oh, I would so tease him if he did!"

"Why would he even like the girl?" 18 wondered.

"Well, I dunno. She's pretty, she's a fighter, and she doesn't seem a bad gal. Her biggest problem she's Satan's kid but still. Why would he _not_ like her?"

"They met a week ago, Krillin," Eighteen shot back.

"Ah, but time will pass. They'll be inseparable before you know it," 17 said.

18 rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Whatever you say." _'Men…'_

Back to Gohan and the others, everyone had finished their meals. They walked to some few more shops, but eventually decided it was time to leave. Tomorrow they had school after all. They were about to leave when a thought came to Erasa. "Gohan," she called. "How are you going to go to your home? You don't live at Satan City!"

Gohan grinned. "Ah, don't worry about that. I've got everything sorted out. My parents have some friends here in West City. They offered to take me back to my place with their Jet Copter, so don't worry." He chuckled and turned to Sharpner. "I guess that's better for you 'cause you'll have more space."

While Videl wondered who were this friends Gohan talked about, Erasa got worried. "Are you sure? We can always drop you at your place."

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said. "I'll be just fine."

"Don't you want us to walk you to your parents' friends' house?"

Gohan shook his head. "It'll be okay, really," he insisted.

"Well, if you say so," Erasa shrugged.

Videl got her Jet Copter out of its Capsule. The three friends got in it, said their goodbyes to Gohan and left. Gohan waved back at them. Well, what could he do? Maybe he could go visit the Briefs. He did say he was going to his parents' friends' house after all. He checked the clock. It was kind of late and tomorrow he had school. He should go home or his mother would worry. But a little, quick visit wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

Quickly, the teenager ran to Capsule Corporation. When he entered, the receptionist recognized him instantly, so she didn't bother to ask him to identify or whatever. The Briefs' friends could go in and out the place without having to worry about anything. Gohan made his way to the second floor, where the Briefs live. When he arrived, he spotted Bulma, Dr. Briefs and Tights talking in the couch while Panchy offered them cookies.

Bulma noticed Gohan and smiled widely. "Gohan!"

"Hello, Gohan," Dr. Briefs greeted with a smile.

Tights turned around and waved. "Hi, Gohan. Nice to see you!"

Mrs. Briefs smiled. "Hi there, Gohan! You want a cookie?" she offered.

"Um… sure! Thanks, Mrs. Briefs!" Gohan said with a smile. Nobody in this world could refuse Panchy Briefs' cookies.

"How're you doing, Gohan? You need something?" Bulma asked, walking towards the teenager.

"Not really. I was in West City with some friends, so I just wanted to pass by and say hi," Gohan explained, finishing his cookies.

"That's nice of you." Bulma smiled. "By the way, did that clock I gave you help you?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Thanks a lot, Bulma."

"Aw, it's okay!" Bulma grinned. "I am a genius after all, and besides, you're my Godson."

Tights chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, Bulma adores you, Gohan."

Gohan chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, yeah."

Just then, Vegeta and Trunks entered the room. "Gohan!" Trunks greeted joyously and ran towards the teenager.

"Kakabrat Number One," Vegeta greeted coolly, a little smirk playing on his lips.

"Hey Vegeta, hey Trunks!" Gohan greeted.

"Whatcha doin' here?" Trunks asked with a smile.

"Nothin' much. I was in town so I decided to pay a little visit. But now that I think of it, I guess I'd be better if I go now."

Trunks' face fell. "Aww, but Gohan~! You just came here!" he pouted.

"Yeah, I know. But hey, it's not like we won't be seeing each other. I bet it won't be even a week and we'll be seeing each other again."

"You know, brat. I recommend you to hurry the hell up and get going. Let's see if you don't get a frying pan in the face when you arrive home, Gohan," Vegeta said with a smirk.

All the color from Gohan's face was drained. _'Oh, man! I completely forgot about the Frying Pan of Doom!'_

"Vegeta!" Bulma scolded. "Shut up! Nobody asked you to say a word, anyways!" She turned to Gohan. "Don't listen to him, Gohan. There will be no frying pans. By the way, say hi to Goku and the others for me when you arrive home, Gohan."

"Sure!" Gohan waved. "See ya!" And so, Gohan walked to the window and blasted towards his home.

"Bye, Gohan!" Trunks waved.

Gohan flew towards his home. He finally saw his little house and landed right in front of it. Moments after he landed, the door was opened by Chi-Chi. "You arrived kind of late," Chi-Chi stated.

Gohan chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Mom," he apologized. _'Please, no frying pan!_ _Please no frying pan!'_

"It's okay," she shrugged his apology off. She smiled at her eldest. "You were with your friends. You guys must've lost track of time. Come on in."

Gohan grinned and walked into the house, thinking: _'Yes! I won't have to face Mom's almighty Frying Pan of Doom after all!'_

The family sat down at the table to eat. The four Saiyans attacked the food. Even Gohan, who ate at the mall and Mrs. Briefs' cookies, was still hungry. Saiyans… When they were eating the dessert, Gohan just felt he had to tell his family who he ran into in the mall. "Guys, you won't believe who I ran with in the mall."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Who?"

Gohan snickered. "Number 17!"

Goku's jaw dropped. "Seventeen?"

Chi-Chi blinked. "And since when he goes to the mall?"

"Since he was forced by 18 to come to the mall with her, Krillin and the others," Gohan responded with a grin. "That's right. I ran into Krillin and his family too. They said hi."

"That's nice. We should get together sometime," Chi-Chi spoke.

"Totally!" Goku agreed, liking the idea of hanging around his best friend again.

"I also went to pay a little visit to Bulma's. They were all there. They also said hi."

"Vegeta said hi?" Goku asked slyly with a snicker and with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, not Vegeta, but Bulma and the others," Gohan clarified. "Well, Bulma was the one to tell me, but I included the others as well."

"Heh, well that explains it," Goku stated with a grin.

"Yeah! I can't imagine Vegeta sayin' hi either," Chimaki snickered. "It wouldn't be right, haha."

Gohan smiled. But somehow, the boy could tell something was off. He turned to glance at little brother, who hadn't talked much and that worried Gohan. His brother was talkative and full of energy, so the fact he hasn't really talked much was worrying. "Hey, Goten, what's up?" he inquired.

"I hope Chobi's okay…" the boy mumbled.

Goku smiled softly at his son and ruffled his hair. "Hey, don't worry, kiddo. Chobi will be fine."

"Chobi?" Gohan muttered. Then it clicked. "You mean, Toh-Toh's kid, Chobi?" Chobi was a baby dinosaur that lived with his parents on Dragon Rock. He hatched from the egg only a few days ago so he couldn't fly yet. Goten—being the lover of animals he's always been—loved the little dinosaur. Chobi's father, Toh-Toh, was a dinosaur Goku had saved long ago, so he didn't fear them being close to Chobi.

Goten nodded. "Yeah. Dad, Chi an' I went to Chobi's nest to check on 'im but he was gone!"

"But how's that possible? Chobi's too young to be able to fly on his own," Gohan thought out loud.

"I know, an' that's why Goten's worried. Although Toh-Toh an' his wife weren't on the nest either, there was still somethin' fishy about it," Goku said.

Just in cue, the news on the TV was heard. _"Starting today in the park of the Circus Show there is a baby dinosaur. This dinosaur was found yesterday by Musuka. The dino appears to enjoy performing in front of an audience!"_ There was shown Musuka wiping a poor, terrified, baby dinosaur, which was no other than…

"It's Chobi!" Goten exclaimed.

_"This baby dinosaur is sure to be a fun and enjoyable show for both, himself and the audience!"_ the reporter continued.

"What's he talking about? That little thing's terrified!" Chi-Chi frowned.

"He must've been kidnapped when his parents were gone," Gohan deduced. "There's no way Toh-Toh an' his wife would've let this happen if they were there."

Chimaki nodded. "They must've left Chobi to look for food or something. These guys took their chance and took him away."

"I feel bad for Chobi," Goten said sadly.

"Don't worry, Goten," Gohan said. "I'll go to Satan City to school. Afterwards I'll go get Chobi back."

"Ya sure you can?" Goku asked. "I mean, I doubt those guys will be givin' Chobi back without a fight."

"I'll handle this, don't worry," Gohan said, confident it wouldn't be so hard to get Chobi back where he belongs.

Of course, Gohan had no idea that it was not going to be as easy as he believed.


	4. Rescue the Dino!

Gohan blinked. This place was familiar. For some reason, he felt he had been there. But when? It was a weird sensation. It was as if he didn't have a body. It felt the only thing he was able to do is watch. What was going on? He glanced around. He knew this place. He was sure. Then suddenly, for some reason or another, some drums were heard.

_What's… going on?_

Gohan looked up. He didn't even know why he was looking up. He just did. Suddenly he noticed something familiar descend to a small lake. It was something—or someone—carrying something—or another someone. As he got closer, Gohan recognized who it was.

_P… Piccolo?_

Piccolo glanced at what he was carrying—an unconscious child—and threw him into the water. Gohan just kept watching, bewildered. For some reason, it didn't feel as if this was happening now. It was like a vision—or maybe a flashback? They couldn't see him, it seemed. He took a closer look to the child emerging from the water and Gohan almost chocked.

_W-Wait! That kid… he… he looks like… me! But that is…! No way! Is he me? Is he me as a child? But how…? He does seem more… spoiled than I was as a kid. But still…_

"Let's get down to business to control the world," Piccolo said—or did he… sing?—to the boy Gohan had deduced to be himself. Gohan blinked. Since when did Piccolo want to control the world? Sure, he wanted to avenge his father. But it wasn't that long after the Tournament that his Dad and Piccolo became allies. The Gohan there seemed around four. Gohan frowned. When he was four Piccolo was an ally already. Sure, he had been Piccolo's first real friend, but Piccolo was an ally before they trained together. And since when did Piccolo actually sing? Was this another universe or something?

"But I don't think I'm ready…" the child version of Gohan replied—or sang?

"Shut up," Piccolo sang, "you nerd!"

_N-Nerd? Piccolo's never called me that…_

"You're the saddest runt I've ever met," Piccolo continued to sing. "But you can bet, before we're through, Gohan, I'll make a man out of you."

"But I'm only four," the child Gohan commented.

"Dodge!" Piccolo yelled and threw Gohan into a mountain.

"Aahh!" kid Gohan cried as he flew in direction to the mountain.

_Well, that seems like something Piccolo would do…_

Suddenly Gohan was in another location. It was a small planet, and for some reason it seemed it was located in Heaven. Wait! Was that Heaven? It was Heaven! Why was he there?

"Raise your hands to the sky to collect the Ki," a voice familiar to Gohan sang. Though he had seen the guy for like once in his life, he had definitely heard his voice constantly in his mind.

_Is that… King Kai? And… is that… Dad?_

Sure enough, Goku was standing there, with his arms raised. Though this Goku seemed… younger. Gohan couldn't explain it, but he looked younger and more immature than his father.

_Then again I just saw myself as a four-year-old crybaby kid… I shouldn't be surprised I saw Dad younger. But seriously, what's going on? I don't get it!_

"Hey, I think I got it," Goku sang as he controlled the Ki he collected. "Ooh, look, a monkey," the Saiyan sang as he saw Bubbles.

_What the_ — _?_

Gohan found himself now on Kami's Lookout. He noticed Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yajirobe standing there. But just like Goku, they looked younger, and somewhat different, too. For starters, Krillin was bald again and Yamcha had his hair long.

"You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot," a voice sang. Gohan turned to see that Mr. Popo was the one singing. Gohan blinked. That seemed out of character for someone as caring as Popo. Mister Popo continued to sing without noticing Gohan, "and you haven't got a clue. Somehow I'll," Gohan noticed Mr. Popo was near—like if they were standing face-to-face, "make a man," Popo seemed to get closer. Gohan wanted to get away but he couldn't move from there. It was like he was seeing a video or something; "out of you!" by now all Gohan could see was Popo's eyes. Gohan had never feared the genie, but now he was kind of freaked out.

_Aahh!_

"Oh my God, this is worse than death!" Tien sang as someone—a Saiyan?—got a hold of him.

_No, Tien!_

"Hope Toriyama doesn't screw me!" Yamcha sang as he panted.

_Who's Toriyama?_

"Man, I really hope Tien will be okay," Chiaotzu sang, glancing at Tien who was standing beside him. Gohan blinked. Wasn't Tien being attacked by a Saiyan seconds ago?

"Gay!" Yamcha butted in.

_Gay?_

"Hey!" Chiaotzu protested.

"What's wrong maggots?" Mr. Popo's voice was heard. "Out of breath?"

"I don't wanna die a virgin!" Krillin sang as he glanced left and right.

_What? Krillin, you're married to Eighteen! Maybe here he doesn't know her yet?_

"Boy, you really need to watch just what you say," Popo sang. Suddenly a hole opened up in the ground just besides Krillin. A hand emerged and grabbed Krillin's leg, dragging him in.

"Huh? No!" Krillin cried as he was dragged into the hole.

_Krillin, no!_

**"Be a man,"** some voices sang.

_Where did that come from?_

Gohan then realized he wasn't on the Lookout anymore, but on the island where he and Piccolo had trained. "You must be swift as a coursing river," Piccolo sang, throwing kid Gohan to the water.

"Aaah!" the child Gohan cried as the current dragged him.

"With all the force of a great typhoon," Piccolo continued to sing.

"Piccolo, help!" kid Gohan cried in the background.

_Why isn't Piccolo helping him… well, me!_

"With all the strength of a raging fire," the Namekian continued. "Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"

"You blew that up, Mister Piccolo," a beaten up kid Gohan reminded.

"I know," was Piccolo's reply.

_When did Piccolo destroy the moon?_

Gohan noticed he was now in space. While he wondered how was he breathing, he saw two spacepods flying. "Time is racing forward until we arrive," a voice sang. Gohan couldn't believe it. He hadn't heard that voice in a while.

_N-Nappa?!_

"Shut the hell up, Nappa, and you might survive," a very familiar voice sang. Gohan recognized it instantly.

_Vegeta._

"Vegeta, are we there yet?" Nappa asked while singing.

"No, Nappa, no we're not," Vegeta sang.

"How about now?"

"No, God damn it, Nappaaaaa!"

**"Be a man."**

_Seriously, where does that come from?_

"You must be swift as a coursing river," Mr. Popo sang as he watched the Earthlings train.

**"Be a man."**

"With all the force of a great typhoon."

**"Be a man."**

"With all the strength of a raging fire," Popo sang. "Mysterious as the dark side of," suddenly the moon was replaced with Mister Popo's face, "the moon!"

_How did he do that?_

**"Be a man."**

"I must be swift as a coursing river," Goku sang as he controlled the Ki he collected.

**"Be a man."**

**_Gohan…_ **

_Huh?_

"With all the force of a great typhoon," he sang as he created a little Genki Dama—a little Spirit Bomb. Meanwhile King Kai threw a giant cube towards Goku.

**"Be a man."**

**_Gohan…_ **

_What's that?_

"With all the strength of a raging fire," he sang as he threw the Spirit Bomb. "Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!" While he sang the last phrase, the Spirit Bomb collided with the… thing King Kai threw, making an explosion and destroys the thing completely. Goku grinned and turned to King Kai. "Hey, King Kai, I did it!" he exclaimed—not singing.

"Awesome," King Kai replied.

**_Gohan…_ **

King Kai turned around and glanced to Gohan. "WAKE THE HELL UP, GOHAN!"

* * *

"Huh!" Gohan asked as he bolted awake. He glanced around, noticing he was in his classroom. _'Wha…?'_

"You fell asleep," Erasa whispered. "Be glad the teacher didn't find out or you would've been in serious trouble."

Gohan realized he had fallen asleep in class—in Mr. Boredom's class of course. So, everything about him as a kid and the others singing was a dream, he realized. Gohan sighed. He was so glad… It seemed it was another universe or something. And since when they were a part of a musical? But that's beside the point. He must've fallen asleep when he was wondering how he would rescue Chobi.

Now that he thought of it, it was highly unlikely the man that kidnapped Chobi would return him to his parents just like that. It seemed like Chobi—now known as Rocko the Little Dinosaur—was the main attraction for the circus. Gohan clenched his fist. How evil people was! Using an innocent baby dinosaur to be an attraction to a circus! Not even the Saiyans would do that! Thirty years ago, maybe, but today there was no way. It reminded them of how they were used by Frieza, and they didn't want anyone or anything to go through that again.

But that's beside the point. How was he going to rescue Chobi? Was he going to grab him and get him back to his parents? Wasn't that stealing? He wasn't a thief! Oh, where was Launch in her blonde persona and her machine gun when you needed her? How was he going to prevent people to notice him? Turn Super Saiyan and make people believe the Golden Fighter is stealing a dinosaur? Maybe… But hey, why someone had to find out? If he and the others were able to hide from Frieza and his men on Namek, why wouldn't he be able to hide from normal humans? Besides, he wasn't going to _steal_ Chobi. He was going to _return_ Chobi, where he belongs.

It was the right thing to do.

* * *

Gohan walked towards the circus where Chobi was. He was going to get the little guy out of there no matter what! He had given his word he would! He had promised it to his little brother! He wasn't going to break a promise like that. No way!

"Gohan? Yoo hoo! Gohan!" a female voice called.

Gohan turned around. "Lime?"

Lime smiled and ran towards Gohan. "Hey you! Whatcha doin' here?"

"Um, actually, I'm goin' to save Chobi," Gohan admitted somewhat sheepishly.

Lime grinned. "Nice! So am I!"

Gohan blinked. "Wait… You came here to rescue Chobi too?"

"Yep." Lime nodded. "I saw the news an' when I recognized poor Chobi an' saw how scared th' poor lil' thing was I decided to help 'im. Guess I'm not the only one." She smirked and crossed her arms. "So, how's school been doin' to ya, ey? Was it as bad as you thought it'd be?"

"Actually, not at all," Gohan admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I actually managed to make three friends an' all."

"That's nice. But I wanna ask you somethin', bro."

"Shoot."

"What's this so called Golden Fighter I've been hearin' about?" Lime questioned lowly with her arms crossed.

"Oh… that…" Gohan chuckled nervously. "Well, you see… In my first day of school, I ran into some delinquents stealin' a bank, an' I tried to help. But as I couldn't show off my powers, I turned Super Saiyan so nobody could recognize me. I stopped 'em and got away with it. But when I arrived to school I found out people already made a legend outta me! And there was Mister Satan's daughter who was suspecting of me 'cuz I was wearin' the same clothes the Golden Fighter did, so I—"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Lime stared at Gohan with her eyes wide. "Did you just day Mr. Satan's _daughter_?!"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Sad fact is, she's actually one of those three friends I made," he said with a chuckle. "She isn't that bad, really! I never would've guessed she was Hercule's daughter if Erasa hadn't told me!" he told her quickly, seeing the look on Lime's face.

"Okay," Lime replied slowly, not really convinced. "If you say so…"

"It's true!" Gohan stated. "The only problem I have with her is that she suspects I have somethin' do to with the Golden Fighter, which is sadly true. That's all."

"Well, you'll have to be careful around her then," Lime advised.

Gohan nodded. "I know. That's why I went to Bulma for help. She gave me a watch—which is this one," he showed her the watch he was wearing, "that could change my clothes instantly. So problem solved. I don't think Videl can suspect about me anymore."

"Nice trick," Lime said with a grin. "Now, back to serious matters. How do we get Chobi back?"

"Well, I'll guess the first step is to get into that circus," Gohan replied. "Let's get some tickets."

After getting the tickets, Gohan and Lime made their way towards two free seats. When the show started, it was the typical thing. A show with acrobats, clowns, motorbike riders, etc. After that, Musuka came to the stage with a grin—that was not exactly a good one—and also with a whip. The stage was dark and the only thing you could see was Musuka thanks to the lights that were directed at him. Both, Gohan and Lime, could tell what was coming next. The rich man in the stage grabbed the microphone. "Alright, now what you've all been waiting for!" The audience cheered loudly and Musuka beamed, knowing he gained a lot of money from these people. "That's right. It's Rocko the Dino!"

The lights lit up the whole stage and there he was. Rocko—or better said, Chobi—was on the stage. The poor baby dinosaur was trembling with fear, as everyone clapped at laughed at the so called show.

"This is horrible," Lime whispered angrily. "Look at that! Poor Chobi's as scared as hell!"

"Yeah," Gohan whispered back. "We gotta help him. And not only because he's scared. Imagine if Toh-Toh and his wife came to the city lookin' for him."

Lime's eyes widened. "That would be… Oh my gosh! That would be horrible! Nobody would want to mess with two angry pterodactyls! Hell! How I bet these people have never seen any kind of dinosaur before! It's gonna be tragic!"

"I know." Gohan glanced at Chobi. "We'll have to bring him back before that happens."

"We will."

When the show ended, and the people left, Gohan and Lime went to Musuka's quarters. Being the both of them trained fighters, they managed to evade security and get to the door without being spot. Gohan had the advantage of being half-Saiyan, and also a member of the Earth Special Force's warriors. Lime, however, had none of these advantages. That doesn't mean she was weak. She had trained under her grandfather, Mr. Lao, and also gotten some guidance from Gohan. And, while she couldn't be compared to the Z-Fighters and most of the Saiyans, she was about as strong—maybe even stronger—than Chi-Chi had been in her fighting days.

When they entered, they spotted Mr. Musuka smoking happily, sitting on a comfortable red chair. He didn't notice neither of the teenagers.

"Let's be polite," Gohan spoke. "He may listen to us."

"He better, or else I'm gonna kick his ass!" Lime replied, glaring at the older man. She was angry for what he did to Chobi. She hated that kind of people who only cared about their money.

Gohan neared the man and cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

Musuka almost chocked on the smoke of his cigarette. Startled, he turned around to see two teenagers staring at him. Recovering quickly, he cleared his throat. He glanced at the teenagers. "What are you two doing here? How did security let you two in?"

"That doesn't matter," Lime spoke flatly. "We came to talk about the dinosaur you kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Musuka was playing dumb. "What are you two kids talking about?"

Lime glared at him. "Oh, c'mon! We know you took Chobi away from his home!"

"Chobi?" Musuka was not exactly an honest man—he was far from it. But this time, he truly did not know who this Chobi was. "Who is this Chobi?"

"The baby dinosaur you call Rocko," Gohan explained, giving him a look.

"Oh, Rocko." Musuka was annoyed that two teenagers came in without any kind of authorization and talked of his dinosaur and how he got it away from its home. "Listen, kids. I did not 'kidnap' Rocko. I just found it and brought it with me. It was alone, and I rescued it."

Lime glared at him. "That's not true! You didn't rescue poor Chobi! You took 'im away from his home only 'cuz you know Chobi'll make you more money if he's in your goddamn show! And Chobi's a 'he', not an 'it'!"

"Calm down, Lime," Gohan told her. "Gettin' angry won't help on anything." Lime huffed and crossed her arms. Gohan looked to Musuka. "Listen, Chobi—I mean, Rocko—is scared. He's just hatched from his egg and you took him away from his home. Can't you see how he trembles in fear? Don't you care how scared the poor thing is?"

"Listen, kid, I don't care what you say to me," Musuka stated. "I'm not giving Rocko away. I found him, I own him. That's how it works. I don't care if he's scared or whatever. He's staying."

Lime's glare worsened. "You're heartless!"

Gohan decided to change arguments. "Listen, if you don't give him back, then his parents will come lookin' for him. They'll come to the city, and it'll be a total mess! Imagine if two huge pterodactyls came and found out you were the one who stole their child. They'll kill you!"

And, instead of giving in as Gohan and Lime expected, Musuka burst out laughing. "Ha! They'll kill me, huh? Don't make me laugh, kid!"

"It's true!" Lime glared at the man. Not only did he steal Chobi from his home and did not care about it, but he made fun of her best friend. Now she disliked him all the more.

"Ha, yeah, right." Musuka smirked at both teenagers. "Listen, kiddies. Life is a game, and the game's name is 'Zeni'. It doesn't matter what you do, just as long as you get money, everything's allowed. Rocko's show gives me money, so I'm not giving him away. I don't care if he's scared or if his parents come or whatever crap you two said. I'm getting paid loads of money thanks to this, and that's all that matters to me."

"You bastard!" Lime hissed and almost attacked the human male, but Gohan held her back, him glaring at Musuka himself.

Musuka chuckled at the teens. "Glare at me all you want. I'm not changing my opinion. Now get out of here! Or else I will call security!"

Gohan threw Musuka a dirty look and walked away, dragging Lime with him. So, talking with the man did not help one bit. Great. He guessed it was time of plan B. The problem was; what was plan B?

"What the hell is wrong with that freakin' no good jerk!" Lime exclaimed angrily. "He only cares about himself and his stupid money! God, how I hate those people! Hopefully, King Yemma will send 'em all straight to hell for bein' such assholes!"

"The problem is how will we rescue Chobi?" Gohan sighed. "Talking didn't help. So what do we do now?"

"Take him?" Lime suggested.

"Wouldn't that be stealing?" Gohan asked.

"This guy practically kidnapped Chobi! We wouldn't be stealin' him! We would just be bringin' him back home!" Lime argued. "'Sides, what do you care? You may be the so called Golden Fighter who fights against criminals, but you ain't exactly from the most innocent group of people."

Gohan blinked. "Lime, you're talkin' about guys who fights against all evil from Earth—no—the Universe!"

"I know. But neither of them were exactly the most heroic people around before joining the Z-Fighters," Lime stated. "Think about it. Yamcha was a feared dessert bandit. Tien and Chiaotzu were killers. Launch's a master thief. Violet the colonel of the Red Ribbon Army. Your dad, Vegeta, your uncle, grandparents and basically all the Saiyans were all killers hired by a space tyrant…"

"Point taken." Gohan shrugged. "I guess as I knew that and also hanged around 'em my whole life I never thought they were bad guys or stuff. But you know what, you're right. Almost everyone I know has stolen. Hell, I'll say even I have stolen once or twice. Didn't we steal somethin' together?"

Lime nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I think some dude stole something from someone and we stole it back."

"Heh, yeah!" Gohan grinned. "Okay, goodbye hesitance. Let's just get Chobi and get outta here."

They found Chobi looked up in a cell. The poor thing was still trembling. Gohan and Lime sneaked near the cell when they made sure the coast was clear. "Hey, Chobi," Gohan greeted.

Chobi turned around. When seeing Gohan and Lime, he visibly relaxed. He started making happy sounds.

"Hey, look, he's happy to see us!" Lime noticed with a grin.

"Yeah," Gohan agreed with a smile. "Don't worry, Chobi. We'll get ya outta here. Boy, will Goten be happy to see you're okay!" When hearing Goten's name, Chobi seemed to get even happier. Gohan and Lime smiled at the dino. Gohan managed to separate the bars, making a hole big enough for Chobi to get out. Gohan picked Chobi up. He turned to Lime. "So what now?"

Lime shrugged. "Get out of here, I guess."

"Sure," Gohan agreed. "So, we fly?"

"I guess," Lime replied. "I don't know how to so I'm guessing you'll have to carry both of us."

"It's fine." Gohan turned around, and signalized her to hop on as he was going to carry her piggy back style. Lime nodded and did what her almost brother silently told her, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The two sibling-like friends smiled at each other. They were so getting away with this!

Gohan took off and flew away quickly, not wanting to be seen. Everything was fine during the flight, except for one thing. "Chobi, stop moving!" Gohan ordered as the dinosaur moved and squirmed.

"What's wrong with him?" Lime inquired.

"Dunno!" Gohan replied. "I think he's scared!"

"Scared?" Lime sighed. "Oh, c'mon, Chobi! We're so close to gettin' away!"

"Lime! He's scared!" Gohan argued. "He won't stop moving!"

"Damn," Lime muttered. "Okay, fine! Let's land, but where?"

Gohan glanced down. "There are some buildings over there! We can land there, and then jump from one building to another! We still can get away with this!"

Lime smirked. "Hell yeah! Let's do this!"

Gohan nodded and descended. He landed on a tall building. "So, let's do this." Lime nodded. He and Lime jumped from a building to another.

"You must be swift as a coursing river," Gohan sang as they jumped building from building. "With all the force of a great typhoon. With all the strength of a raging fire. Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"

"Gohan, what are you doing?" Lime asked.

"Uh…" Gohan laughed sheepishly. "Well, I fell asleep in class and had this weird dream of me and the others years ago singing that song, and I can't get it out of my mind."

"Really?" Lime asked with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, really! I swear I—"

"OH, GOD DAMMIT! THERE'S NO MORE BUILDINGS!"

Gohan looked in front of them. Indeed, there were no more buildings for them to jump on. He sighed. "Fantastic," he muttered. "What do we do now? Chobi's scared of flying and there's no more buildings to jump on. Whatever we do now to get away, we'll be spotted! If we jump through the roofs of the houses down there, we'll call the attention way too much."

Lime cursed. "Oh crap! Where's our luck?!"

"What do we do now?!" Gohan asked.

"I don't know!" Lime replied.

"Great!" Gohan complained. "You know what? Let's just run!"

"You got it!"

Gohan jumped from the building, carrying both Chobi and Lime. When they landed, Gohan—who was carrying Chobi—and Lime started to run. The street was surprisingly deserted, which was good for both teenagers. When they noticed people—the police, actually—they hid in a corner and listened. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T FOUND HIM YET!" a man yelled to the police. Gohan and Lime recognized the man. It was Mr. Musuka. He must've been looking for Chobi and told the police about it!

"Sorry, sir! We are looking for Rocko but we haven't found him yet!" the policeman replied.

"THEN LOOK FOR HIM!" Musuka demanded. "I WANT HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Great," Lime whispered. "The bastard's lookin' for Chobi, and he's got the police with him."

"Damn it. We can seriously get arrested, and while it wouldn't be hard to get away, we wouldn't be able to come back here again." Gohan sighed. Then, the light bulb was shining over his head. "I know! I'll turn into a Super Saiyan, in other words I'll be the Golden Fighter, and I get away with Chobi. Meanwhile you go tell the police you saw someone with a dinosaur running over the other direction."

"That's a good one! But, say, you think they'll believe me?" Lime asked.

"Are you kidding? You're the best liar this planet has ever seen!" Gohan said.

Lime smirked. "Thanks. Well, I'll give it a try!"

Gohan nodded and turned Super Saiyan. Then, he pressed the bottom on his watch and TAH-DAH! Gohan wore other clothes! Lime looked him up and down and smiled. "Cool outfit."

"Thanks," Gohan replied with a grin. "Okay, time for action!"

Lime nodded and ran towards the police. "Excuse me."

Musuka and the policemen turned around and glanced at Lime. "What do you want, kid?" Musuka asked, seemingly not recognizing Lime.

_'He doesn't recognize me. Great! More to our favor!'_ Lime tried to look as innocent as she could. "I'm sorry for bothering, but I saw some guy, around thirty years old, running with a baby dinosaur. I thought it was kinda weird, so I came to tell you."

"That must be Rocko!" Musuka exclaimed.

"Excuse me, miss, but in which direction did that person go?" a policeman asked.

Lime pointed to the opposite direction Gohan and Chobi were. "He ran that way!"

"Thank you, miss," he thanked. The policeman looked at his companions. "You heard her! Let's go find that thief!" And so, Musuka and the policemen got into the hovercars and rushed to the direction Lime had pointed. Lime smirked. They had fallen for it! _'Ha! Gohan must've outrun 'em by now!'_

* * *

Just as Lime had predicted, Gohan was running carrying Chobi piggyback style. "Man, Lime really got 'em good, didn't her, Chobi?" Chobi seemed to agree happily. "Heh, we're so gettin' away with this! An' no one's gettin' in the way!"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A yellow Jet Copter flew right past Gohan and landed in the street. Gohan sighed, recognizing both the voice and the Jet Copter. _'Oh, God, no…'_ he thought as he saw Videl jumping out of the Jet Copter. "It didn't take long for you to reveal your real colors, did it, Golden Fighter?" Videl questioned. "You should be ashamed."

"It's not what it seems!" The Super Saiyan wondered how he was going to get out of the whole mess. For now, he just decided to play the Golden Fighter role, and talk Videl about it. He made sure to change a little the tone of voice so he wouldn't be recognized. "If I don't return this little guy to his rightful home, the people of this city will be in great danger, and that's the truth!"

"And what do you know about the truth?" Videl demanded as she neared the Golden Fighter. "Listen to me, Golden Fighter, you're surrounded. There's nowhere to go. Now, give that dinosaur back or else I'm gonna take him by force!"

Gohan sighed and closed his eyes. "You listen to me. I'm not gonna give Chobi back. You may think I'm stealing him but the truth is that I'm just taking him back where he belongs. He was taken away from his parents and I'm bringing him back. Chobi has all the right of being with his parents, just like any kid in the world! I don't wanna fight, but if that's the only way to keep Chobi with me…" he opened his eyes and glanced at Videl, "…then let's fight!"

Videl was kind of surprised with the Golden Fighter being so willing to fight her, but she just smirked and got into a fighting stance. "Well, then let's see what you're made of, Mr. Golden Fighter!"

Gohan grimaced. He didn't want to hurt his friend but it was the only way of getting away with it. Unless… he ran away. Yeah, that sounded good. Suddenly, he heard sirens and glanced back to see the police coming. _'What? But Lime managed to send them to the other side of the city!'_ The police cars stopped and out came the policemen and Musuka.

"What are you waiting for?! Get that thief and give me back my dinosaur! That's policemen work!" Musuka demanded.

"Don't you worry, sir! Everything will be alright," a policeman assured. "That girl over there, she's Videl—Mr. Satan's daughter! She was the one who spotted the Golden Fighter with your dinosaur. That other girl was nice to have tried to help us but in the end, she confused directions."

_'So that's how they came here…'_ Gohan deduced.

"It's Hercule's daughter all right," Musuka said. "And unlike you, she knows how to catch a thief. My taxes should be going to her instead than for you, you donut eating monkeys!"

As they spoke, people came and watched the scene. Lime, curious of what was going on, made her way to the front and gasped when she saw the scene. _'Oh… dammit.'_

"STAND BACK, PLEASE! EVERYONE, PLEASE, STAND BACK!" a policeman ordered to the people.

Gohan glanced at the people. "Oh… dammit…" Gohan turned to Videl. "Listen to me, please! You don't know what'll happen if this dinosaur is not returned to his parents! The whole city might be in danger! I'm telling you!"

"Yeah, right. And you expect me to believe that?!" Videl laughed. "HA! Give me a break!"

"It's not a lie, it's the truth!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Shut up, you thief!" Videl shouted as she moved to attack Gohan and kick him, but Gohan managed to dodge it. He moved so fast it seemed he just disappeared. Videl growled and turned around, glaring at the Golden Fighter. "Stay still, you freak!"

"Why can't you believe me?!" Gohan questioned as he dodged Videl's attacks. One of Videl's punches almost hit Chobi. "Be careful with Chobi!"

"Why would I believe a freak like you?" Videl shot back as she tried to hit Gohan. "You know what, I'm happy you've finally shown your true colors. 'Cause ever since I met you, I've wanted to kick your ass!" Hearing this, Gohan suddenly realized something. Ever since the Golden Fighter appeared, Videl seemed to have a dislike for him. She seemed to hate him for some reason. Maybe, maybe it was because of this she didn't hear what he said!

"Well, I bet if I was one of your friends or your father you'd hear me out!" he yelled. Videl halted. Gohan was glad he finally got her attention, and continued, "But nooo! Since you hate me—for no reason at all—you won't hear to anything I say, do you? You want me out of the picture, so that's why you're acting like that! C'mon, Videl! Neither of us are kids anymore! Let's just drop the crap and talk! I know you might think I'm stealing, and maybe I am, but I've got hundreds of good reasons for me to get this dinosaur back to his home! Now, if you would be so nice to hear me out for once, you'd end up thinking I am right. 'Cause I _am_ right! And just for you to know, one of my reasons is that if we don't return Chobi to his parents, it'll be his parents who come looking for him! And when two giant pterodactyls come to the city in search for their son, I will so gladly say 'I told you so' in your face! 'Cause that's what you deserve!" Truth to be told, Gohan didn't know where all that came from. But it felt good to let it out. Back in the public, Lime smirked. He said just what she deserved to hear!

Videl couldn't believe she had been yelled by the Golden Fighter from all people. For the last week, he'd been polite and nice with her, but this time it was different. She thought the words he said. Maybe, maybe he was right… Her thoughts, however, where soon interrupted by cries coming from the baby dinosaur.

"What… What's he doing?" Videl inquired.

"He's calling his parents!" Gohan replied.

Musuka whipped Chobi. "Shut up, you little monster! You're hurting my ears!

Not long after, two giant shadows fell on people. People gasped when seeing two giant pterodactyls flying around. Comments like, "Oh my gosh!" and "They're huge!" were heard as they watched the dinosaurs fly over their heads. Lime sighed as she looked up. This was what she and Gohan were trying to prevent but they couldn't. Videl gasped when seeing the dinosaurs, and she also felt a new kind of emotion. Guilt. Everything the Golden Fighter had told her was right, and she didn't listen to him. It made her feel so guilty. She glanced to the golden haired warrior, and heard him mutter, "Great. Here we go…" as he watched the pterodactyls. He didn't seem scared in the least. Just… somewhat exasperated. She didn't blame him. This what just what he wanted to prevent, and instead it happened…

And all thanks to her stopping him and not listening to him when she should've.

The people were evacuated. Lime didn't want to leave but she was pushed away by the mass of people that was running away. There was a policeman ordering everyone to run away, and Lime had to do as told. _'I'll leave to you, bro.'_

"Hey, Golden Fighter… Sorry," Videl apologized.

Gohan sighed. "It's okay." He glanced to the dinosaurs. "We've got to return their kid to them and fast though. Oh, and by the way…"

"Yeah?" Videl inquired.

Gohan smirked and crossed his arms. "…I told you so!"

"Men! Prepare your guns! Shoot!" The policemen got out their guns and started to shoot Toh-Toh and his wife, though not hurting them. "Dammit! Keep shooting!"

"No! Don't shoot! They only came to get their baby back!" Gohan yelled. Seeing as the policemen didn't hear him, he turned to Videl. "See? What I was saying is all truth! The people of the circus came and stole their baby from their nest! Now they're here to get him back! We've got to help 'em, or else everyone will be in danger!"

Videl nodded. "All right! I understand now! Let's give 'em their child back!" Gohan nodded and blasted to the air to confront Toh-Toh and his wife. Videl ran towards Chobi and ordered the policemen to hold their fire. When she reached Chobi, she smiled at him and picked him up. "Don't worry, little guy. It's okay!" She then glared at Musuka. "You should be ashamed!" she yelled. Musuka quickly got out of her sight.

Gohan, now in the air, tried to calm Toh-Toh and his wife. "Toh-Toh! Calm down! Chobi's fine! I'm sorry these guys took him away from you but we're gonna give him back!" Toh-Toh seemed to calm down, recognizing Gohan's voice. Both pterodactyls knew the blonde haired guy over there was actually that black-haired teen that usually came to their nest with his father and brother. Gohan landed with a smile, and the pterodactyls landed behind him. Chobi was happy to see his parents, and they were happy to see their child was okay. The happiness, though, was short-lived as Musuka stole a policeman's gun.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" the policeman questioned.

Muska though, paid no attention to him as he ran to Gohan, Videl, Chobi, Toh-Toh and his wife. "Freeze!" he demanded. "Now give me back my dinosaur or else I'll blow you away! I found him, he's mine!"

"Don't you dare shoot!" Videl yelled. Gohan jumped into action. And, with blinding speed, he rushed towards Musuka and got the gun out of his hand. "This doesn't belong to you!" the Super Saiyan said with a grin. He walked towards the policeman who owned it and gave it to him. "Here you go!"

The policeman smiled. "Thank you, Golden Fighter!"

Gohan smiled and gave thumbs up. He walked to see Chobi and his parents reunited together. Gohan was happy for this. Videl neared the Golden Fighter. "Golden Fighter, I…" She took a deep breath. "You were right. I'm sorry for not believing you. I… I'll try to be nicer with you. You can be trusted."

Gohan nodded with a grin. "Thanks, Videl."

Videl's expression soon changed to a smirk. "That doesn't mean I haven't stopped trying to find out who you are!" she declared. "'Cause sooner or later, I'll find out!"

Gohan laughed. "We'll see about that!" He took off, with Toh-Toh—who was carrying Chobi on his back—and his wife following him. "Bye!"

Videl waved. "Goodbye!" She laughed, seeing the Golden Fighter fly away with the family of pterodactyls following him. "What a guy…"

Musuka came and yelled, "HEY! I KNOW WHERE THE NEST IS! I'LL BE BACK FOR ROCKO BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!"

"Why don't you think it over in jail?" Videl asked, glaring at him.

"What?! Jail!"

"Stealing a dinosaur is no crime, but stealing an officer's handgun is!" the policeman declared and laughed. Videl giggled and looked back at the sky where the Golden Fighter had flown off with a smile on her face.

* * *

At Toh-Toh's nest, Goku, Gohan, Chimaki, Goten, Chi-Chi and Lime watched as Toh-Toh and his wife gave little Chobi food. "Aww, look at them! They're so happy now!" Chi-Chi exclaimed happily, leaning over to Goku.

"Yup!" Goku agreed.

"I'm so happy Chobi's alright!" Goten exclaimed happily. He turned to Gohan. "Thanks a lot Big Brother! You too, sis!"

Lime laughed. "Don't thank me. Gohan was the one who did almost everything!"

Gohan laughed. "Yeah. I even had to use the Golden Fighter's identity to get away with it. There was something good out of this though. Besides of Chobi's family getting together, I mean." Everyone looked at Gohan. Even the three dinosaurs stared at him, wanting to hear what he would say. "I actually got Videl to trust the Golden Fighter!" Everyone laughed at this.

"Say, Big Brother?" Goten turned to Gohan.

"Yeah?"

"Can you sing that song?" Goten asked. "You know, the one of your dreams."

"Uh…"

"I still can't believe you dreamt about us singing a song," Goku laughed.

"Yeah, what's with that?" Chimaki laughed. "I didn't know you were singers!"

"Yeah, it was weird…" Gohan admitted. "It seemed like another world or something. We were totally different. Mr. Popo was actually kinda scary!" He chuckled at that. "All right, I don't remember much, but I'll give it a try. Here goes…" He cleared his throat and started to sing, "You must be swift as a coursing river…"


	5. Partners

Videl laid in her bed, with her eyes fixed at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her thoughts were practically out of control. She couldn't help but think about today's ordeal. Her—Videl Satan—teaming up with the Golden Fighter— _he,_ from all people—to rescue a baby dinosaur from a money-maniac jerk. How did that happen? Videl wasn't sure herself. Whatever. The thing was, in the end, he was right. Musuka was a bad guy. He had stolen a baby dinosaur from his mother.

The fiery girl wondered why taking a dinosaur was not even considered a crime yet. She guessed it was because _no one_ —or at least, no normal one—would try and go steal a baby from a _dinosaur_. Then again, Musuka was a sick bastard who only cared about money. Or at least, that he was in Videl's eyes. She frowned, yet there was a determinate look on her eyes. There was going to be a law against stealing babies dinosaurs—she was going to make sure about it.

But first, she would think about more important matters—at least to her, at that moment. The so called _important matter_ being, of course, the Golden Fighter. Videl was kind of getting obsessed with him, but she didn't care. She wanted to know more about him. Where did he come from? Was he even from Earth? Who was he? What was his real name? Who were his family? Did he even have a family? Where did he live? So many questions were in Videl's head it was driving her crazy. She didn't get it. Since when someone had interested her so much? She had her suspicions on some people, but this was getting kind of ridiculous.

But then again, the Golden Fighter wasn't normal. Oh, in looks he looked like any normal teenager would. Or at least, he _sort of_ looked like any normal teenager would. He had that spiky, blonde hair—who was the reason of him being known as the _Golden_ Fighter—and those teal eyes. He had somewhat pale skin. He wore a white shirt, blue jeans, a red jacket and red and black combat boots. That seemed normal—and even _cool_ —for her taste.

His personality... well, besides of being one of the very few people that had yelled at her in the face, he seemed to be, in general, a well-meaning, nice and selfless young man. Maybe she had misjudged him. He was right, somewhat. Why did she hate him so much in the beginning? Because he was doing _her_ job, that's what! But he did save her life. More than once. It had been that day...

That day she met the Golden Fighter.

_Videl couldn't believe she was going to die this way. Why had she been so stupid? Of course that if she beat up the driver, no one would be driving the God damned bus! And not only had she caused her death, but the death of an innocent grandpas and grandmas who were right now screaming in fear! Thanks to her and her stupidity, here they were, falling in a bus on a cliff. She covered her face with her hands, waiting for her demise._

_But that demise never came._

_Videl blinked when feeling the bus stop its fall. She blinked. What happened? There was no way... She looked outside the window and smiled. She didn't know why was she smiling. What she was seeing was out of this world. Seeing a blonde haired guy flying and lifting the bus where she and many old men and women were was definitely not what she would call normal. Yet she was still laughing. Maybe it was because he saved their lives? Probably. She didn't understand why, but the moment her eyes and his eyes met, she just knew everything was going to be all right._

After having gotten the bus on safe ground, she thanked their savior and asked who was he was. He seemed familiar somehow. It was a she had seen him somewhere before, yet she couldn't place her finger on it. Who was he? And how could he do all that? But, she got all her answers when the man told who he was.

_Videl couldn't believe it. That guy standing in front of her..._ that _was the Golden Fighter? She was seeing the Golden Fighter face-to-face?_ He _was the Golden Fighter?_

_"Ah, the Golden Fighter!" An old man adjusted his glasses to take a look at the powerful youth standing in front of them. "So, you're the golden-haired kid that we've been hearing about. You know, the one who stopped the bank robberies with those superpowers."_

_A slight chuckle was heard coming from the golden-haired warrior. "I guess you could say that."_

_Videl forced herself out of her shock. "So, you're the Golden Fighter, huh?"_

_Gohan glanced at Videl. She couldn't recognize him as he was as a Super Saiyan and he was wearing different clothes thanks to Bulma's watch. He was really glad for her to go through the trouble and build him that. "Yes, that I am." He made sure to alter his voice a bit, so that she wouldn't recognize his voice. "And you're Mr. Satan's daughter, right?"_

_Videl nodded. "I am, but how do you know that?" She didn't know why she bothered to ask. Though her father was the World Champion and the hero who defeated Cell, she was still shielded from the press so that she could, at least, have a somewhat normal life. Then again, with her fighting criminals, it was pretty often she appeared on TV giving interviews and stuff. But he didn't exactly need to know that. Gohan had been surprised when finding out she was Hercule's daughter, but then again, he lived as far as hell._

_"TV," was the reply from the teenage boy. He was not going to say he found out from Erasa that Videl was Satan's kid because then it would be obvious who it was. Videl was a pretty smart girl after all. Good detective. "I've seen you givin' interviews of crimes an' stuff."_

_Well, that explained it. Videl nodded. "I see. Say, I got a question."_

_"Shoot."_

_"What's your real name?"_

_Gohan knew that was going to be the question. "I'm sorry, Miss Videl," he replied in his fake voice. "I can't tell you my real name. For you, and everyone else, I'm the Golden Fighter."_

_Videl almost pouted. "Why can't you tell me? I won't tell anyone!"_

_The Golden Warrior shrugged. "Sorry, but I still won't tell you. We've just met, haven't we? Why would I trust a stranger?"_

_Videl had to admit he was right. Yet that didn't mean she was happy with that answer. "Fine," she replied with a sigh. "You did save us, Golden Fighter. So this time, I'll let it go."_

_The Super Saiyan smiled. "Thanks. I think I should go now, though." He waved. "See ya!" And, to everyone's surprise, he took off and flew away at huge speed._

_'How did he do that!' Videl wondered as she watched him fly away. 'It was just like those guys at the Cell Games! Now that I think of it, he kind of looks as the Delivery Boy! Is he the Delivery Boy? Just wait, Golden Fighter. I'll find out who you really are!'_

Now that she remembered, the Golden Fighter did look like the Delivery Boy somewhat. It was probable he was the Delivery Boy all grown up! She should ask him the next time she sees him. And this time, she would be nicer to him. Yeah, she was way too mean with him. He was right. Besides, she had given her word that she would be nicer to him. Maybe they would become friends, and maybe, then he would trust her enough to tell her the truth.

Now that she thought about it, the Golden Fighter somewhat reminded her of Gohan. Though she didn't know any of them for a long time, she could tell they had similar personalities. Hell, even the hairstyle, their voices and the skin color was similar! And not to mention they once wore the same clothes. If it wasn't for the difference of their hair color, eye color and clothes, she'd swear they were the same person. She reminded herself about the Cell Games' mysterious warriors and about how they changed hair color. Maybe she should still keep her eye on Gohan. Yeah, that would do.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep, thoughts about the Delivery Boy, the Golden Fighter, and Son Gohan on her mind.

* * *

Gohan was watching TV, passing from channel through channel. Yesterday, he was with Lime trying to save Chibi from Musuka. Today, he was just sitting in the sofa as Goten played with his toys in the floor and his father and mother were taking care of their crops. _'Man, there's nothing to watch today!'_ Gohan thought as he changed channels once again. Finally, he arrived to Satan City's news channel.

_"Breaking news! There is once again a new robbery on Satan City! This time, it's not only one, two or three people but around twenty! All of them with guns in hand! It's too dangerous for the police to get nearer!"_ The reporter on the TV glanced at his side. _"Oh! And there comes Videl Satan!"_ Gohan saw in TV as his friend went to attack twenty men with guns all by herself. For him, it would've been nothing. Even as a kid he would've been able to beat those twenty guys with his eyes closed. But Videl was not him! What if they were too much for her? It was time for the Golden Fighter to make his appearance!

Gohan stood up and ran to the door, ignoring Goten's and Chimaki's startled stares at their brother's sudden reaction. He waved to his parents. "Mom! Dad! I'm goin' to Satan City for a while! See ya later!"

"Wait!" Chi-Chi glanced at her son, wondering why he was so hurried up. It couldn't have been a powerful evil guy because Goku didn't react at all, and Goku's senses were the sharpest, most well trained senses of the whole family. "Why are you going?"

"Golden Fighter time!" was Gohan's reply as he pressed the button of his watch to change clothes, turned Super Saiyan and took off to the sky.

Chi-Chi turned to her husband. "Don't you think he's taking the whole 'Golden Fighter' thing too seriously?"

"Nah." Goku chuckled and continued working. "It's just a game to 'im. 'Sides, Gohan's been that type of kid who wanna help everyone ever since he was little. Gohan may be happy he's actually helpin' people without puttin' his life in the line for once. Let 'im have his fun. It ain't like he'll be the Golden Fighter forever, anyways."

Chi-Chi sighed. "I guess you're right." And so, both parents continued gardening. Any normal parent would be worried about their child going off to fight criminals but not them. They didn't have to worry at all. Gohan could perfectly take care of himself. Hell, Gohan would've most likely been able to defeat those robbers with his eyes closed at the age of four!

* * *

Videl growled. Fucking robbers and their damned guns! She couldn't take a bullet! Damn them! Where the hell was the Golden Fighter when you needed him, huh?! Sure, he came when you did _not_ need his help. But when you did? No! He didn't appear! Just as she was thinking about the 1,001 ways she'd like the Golden Fighter to die, the leader of the robbers was suddenly sent flying away to a wall.

Videl gasped, and frowned when seeing the Golden Fighter. This time, though, it wasn't because she was annoyed because he came when she had everything under control. This time, it was because he took way too long!

"You idiot!" Videl yelled. "What the hell took you so long?!"

"Uh..." Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Hi to you too."

Videl huffed. "I could've gotten killed, you know!"

Gohan shrugged. "I thought you didn't want my help anymore?"

"THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT!" Videl roared. Gohan couldn't believe how much Videl was like his mother. He could swear he saw Chi-Chi a moment ago. They could become the best of friends! "Now, let's kick some criminal's ass! I need you to get rid of the guns for me, if you can."

Gohan nodded. "I got it." He blasted with his finger all of the twenty machine guns. Videl momentarily imagined Mr. Satan appearing out of nowhere and claiming the Golden Fighter was a trickster who used tricks and stuff. She frowned. With those guys of the Cell Games she could accept it. The Cell Games could've perfectly been arranged to be like that and scare the shit out of people. But if he dared to say that about the Golden Fighter, she'd shut him up. She knew there were no mirrors or special effects around here.

As expected, Videl and the Golden Fighter kicked the robber's asses. Videl smirked. Without their guns, they were venerable. Easy thing. Gohan, on the other side, couldn't believe it. Not about the robbers but about Videl. For the first time, she didn't push the Golden Fighter away. She actually expected him to come! He couldn't believe it.

Videl turned to the Golden Fighter. "Well, we've saved the day."

Gohan nodded. "Yup."

"I've got to admit, we make a good team," Videl admitted. "Maybe we should be partners."

"Partners?"

"Yeah." Videl extended her hand. "So, Golden Fighter, wanna be my criminal fighting partner?"

Gohan smiled and took her hand, shaking it. "You've gotten yourself a new partner, Videl!"

Videl's smile soon turned into a smirk. "But, don't you dare think I've given up about finding who you are, 'cause I haven't!"

Gohan also smirked. "Well, you're not finding out any time soon."

"We'll see," Videl replied. "Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask you, are you the Delivery Boy?" She raised her hand, stopping him from saying something. "And before you say anything, I'm not asking you your name, so it's fair game."

"Clever," the Golden Fighter replied. He didn't want to lie, but he most certainly didn't want to tell the truth either. "You're a smart girl, Videl. So think. Am I the Delivery Boy or not? Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. You'll have to find out on your own." And with these words, he winked and flew away. Videl smirked at the direction he had flown off to.

Having the Golden Fighter as a partner won't be that bad after all.


	6. Gossips and Sleepover

Today had been a fairly good day. Getting the Golden Fighter to be her partner in fighting crime was good enough. Think about it; not only would she get help, but also, she would get to get near him. Maybe he'd end up trusting her, and then, _maybe_ , he'd tell her his secrets! And if he doesn't… she'll just discover it on her own. That way she'll find out if he's truly the Delivery Boy, and also if he has any connection with Son Gohan. _Perfect_!

Videl, though, felt like she needed someone to talk about her suspicions; what she knew, what has happened, everything! And who was better than your own best friend? Erasa had invited her to a sleepover at her house. She, of course, had been happy to go. She always had fun at Erasa's place. People wondered how they could be such good friends if they were so different. Videl was a tomboy, and Erasa was a bit of a ditz. Yet they were so close. Videl chuckled to herself every time she thought about those people who didn't understand it. Friendship was not only of having similar likes. Friendship was trusting and being there for each other, even when times were difficult. They trusted each other, and been there for each other, even on hard times. That's why Erasa and Videl were such good friends. They were practically sisters! Besides, Erasa sure could make Videl laugh!

So, here she was. In Erasa's room talking about whatever that came to mind. Chatting about random things without fear or wanting to hide something.

Unlike Gohan.

Somehow, her thoughts once again shifted to the unruly, wild haired teen. It was starting to get frustrating. Why all her thoughts went from _him_ , to the other _him_ , and to that other _him_. Erasa seemed to realize something was off, as she waved her hand in front of Videl's face. "Videl… _Videl_ …" Videl blinked and got out of her trance, glancing at Erasa's confused and worried face. "You spaced out," Erasa explained. "What's with that? You never space out like that."

"Sorry," Videl apologized. "My head's been full of thoughts recently."

"About what?" Erasa questioned. If it had been anyone else, Videl would've told them to mind their own business, but not to Erasa. After all, she _did_ want someone to talk with and Erasa seemed the perfect candidate.

"About… well… uh…" Videl sighed. If she said Gohan, Erasa would probably start talking about how she of all people is thinking about boys and then she would probably tell him. That couldn't happen! "The Golden Fighter," was her reply. She didn't lie. After all, he had been on her mind as well.

"A _boy_?" It seemed that it didn't matter if it was Gohan or anyone else. The fact Videl was thinking of a male was something worth of going to the history books! Erasa's grin was wide and sly. "I don't believe it!"

"I'm not thinking about the Golden Fighter like _that_ , Erasa!" Videl snapped. "It's just…" She struggled to get her words together. "He's so… weird. He's a mystery. All those powers… I don't get it! I don't get _him_!" Videl unconsciously started speaking faster and faster. "I mean, the fact he's a strong as hell and that he can fly and throw those light beams from his hands and lift a bus that is falling off a cliff with people in it and how he just appears out of nowhere when there's trouble and then disappears out of sight with no one knowing where he ran off to and—"

"Woah, woah!" Erasa was surprised and even a little worried to hear Videl talk so fast. "Talk slower, Vi! I couldn't understand a thing! And I'm supposed to be the one who talks fast here!"

Videl sighed, though she couldn't help but smile a little when hearing Erasa's comment. "Sorry." She rubbed her head somewhat sheepishly. "I guess I got way too overloaded. I've got so many things in mind."

Erasa cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, it seems so. It has to do with the Golden Fighter, right? What about him?"

"Well, he's… not… normal," Videl spoke. "I mean… sure, we've fought together and he acts like any guy, but those powers of his. They're so bizarre! _He_ 's bizarre!"

Erasa shrugged. "Well, yeah. We all know that. He's a superhero after all, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I guess. But, tell me the truth, Erasa. Doesn't the Golden Fighter remind you of someone?" Videl questioned. At Erasa's blank expression, she continued. "Someone of the Cell Games?"

"Of… the… Cell Games?" Erasa blinked. "I… don't remember. That was seven years ago, Vi."

Videl nodded. "I know, but think about it. You've got to remember _them_. You know, those weird fighters that fought before my dad."

"You mean… those guys who used tricks?" Erasa had to look back to her memories to remember those weird warriors. She, unfortunately, did not know the truth and believed Mr. Satan's lies and that he beat Cell. For her, all Ki blasts, Bukujutsu, or whatever technique that used Ki were tricks. "Sure, I remember them."

"Doesn't the Golden Fighter remind you of the Cell Games' Delivery Boy?" Videl questioned. "I mean, even the Delivery Boy has got to grow up, right? He looked like our age when he appeared on TV. He must be a teenager like us right now."

Erasa managed to get the pieces together. "You're saying… you think the Golden Fighter is the Delivery Boy?" She blinked. Now that she thought about it, it did actually make sense! "Gosh, I never thought about it that way!"

"You see!" Videl was happy someone other than her agreed with her suspicions. "The Golden Fighter must be the Delivery Boy all grown up! They look quite similar, with the same weird powers and stuff! That must be it." She frowned. "When I asked him if he indeed was the Delivery Boy, he just gave me an answer that didn't take me anywhere." Her frown was replaced by a smirk. "But that won't stop me from finding out. I asked the Golden Fighter to be my partner in fighting crime."

Erasa gasped. "And what did he say?"

"He said yes!" Videl grinned, almost evilly. "That way, I can get closer to him and find out who is he! I'm gonna find out no matter what!"

Erasa smiled. "I'm sure you will." An uncharacteristic smirk appeared on Erasa's face. "But, you've _got_ to tell me who he is. You're not the only one who wanna find out about the hottie's real identity, you know."

Videl blinked. "Wait, you want to know, too?"

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Of course I want, Vi! The whole city wants to know! We just don't happen to investigate by ourselves like you do. Then again, none of us got the privilege to even _talk_ to him."

Videl laughed. "Yeah, guess you're right. But you know, there's another person the Golden Fighter reminds me of."

Erasa blinked. "Really? Who?"

"Gohan."

"Gohan…?" Erasa giggled. "Well, that's funny!"

"Erasa, I'm serious!"

"Vi, seriously. What remind you of Gohan?"

"I don't know… The way he talks. The way he acts… He's just so…" Videl struggled to find the right words. "…Gohan-ly."

"I betcha it's no big deal!" Erasa shrugged. "I mean, Gohan's a hottie, too. But I don't think he's got something to do with the Golden Fighter or the Delivery Boy for that matter. We don't even know if he's a fighter. Besides, he's not even blonde!" She ran a petite hand through her blonde hair. "I think if Gohan and the Golden Fighter are similar, it's just coincidence. You don't have to be related to someone just because you're similar to him, right?"

Videl knew all that. But something was still off in her opinion. Gohan was a walking mystery, no doubt. It shouldn't be that surprising if he actually _did_ have something to do with the Golden Fighter. But, maybe, Erasa was right. Maybe, the fact Gohan and the Golden Fighter were similar was just a coincidence. But that didn't mean she was going to stop having an eye over Gohan. After all, you never knew. "I guess so."

* * *

Gohan watched as his brother played with Rose and Marron. In the end, Goku and Krillin decided to get together and somehow, Yamcha got included. Krillin, Yamcha and their families came to his house for lunch. Goku, Krillin and Yamcha were really close friends and they got along perfectly fine. It was funny to think that in the past, they had all been enemies or rivals. Back then they were kids and teenagers, training under Kame Sen'nin, bringing down evil armies and participating on Tournaments. Now they were all grown adults, each with a family, and fighting for universal—as in, literally, _universal_ —peace. But that didn't mean they had grown apart. Gohan believed that the Z-Fighters were the best example of the word 'friendship' because of various reasons, one of them being that they were still friends even after all this time.

"Goten, that's no fair!" Rose protested as the older boy levitated out of her reach. "You know I can't fly just yet!" Rose was pretty strong fighter for her age. Her speed and skill were far out of the normal human level. It wasn’t that surprising, considering she was the daughter of Yamcha—a former desert bandit and one of the strongest human warriors—and Violet—a former colonel of the Red Ribbon Army. But, as she was a full-blooded human, she wasn't that good at controlling her Ki, and much less at Bukujutsu. If she kept practicing, she would definitely be flying by the time she's a teenager. But right now, she was only a six years old child, so for her flying was out of the question.

"Well, why don'tcha learn how to fly?" Goten questioned. "It's easy!"

"Easy?!" she all but yelled. "Well, excuse me for not being half-Saiyan like _others_!"

"Well, excuse me for _bein'_ one!"

Marron watched the exchange of her to friend with curious eyes. The blonde-haired three years old wondered if someday, she would be able to fly, too. Maybe someday, just someday, she would learn. For all times Krillin has died and the fact he was just a human, he had a splendid control of his Ki. Not to mention her mother was a _Jinzōningen_. Marron could picture herself being older flying around the skies. That sounded so fun!

Yamcha chuckled at the children's argument. "Man, kids these days."

"You mean, _our_ kids these days," Krillin corrected. "'Cause I as sure as hell doubt the other kids are this way. At least on this planet."

"Yeah, I agree," Violet commented. "Discounting our kids, this generation is boring. Everyone believes in _that_ fool."

"I don't get how people can be so stupid," Chimaki muttered.

Chi-Chi shrugged. "Well, it does save us from the press."

"It's kinda frustratin' someone just comes and takes your credit when all he did was hide behind a rock fakin' stomachache," Goku spoke. "But, Chi's right. He _did_ save us all from the press."

"True." Eighteen sighed. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to kick his sorry ass sometimes."

"Mr. Satan's just a sad dude with no life, and as he can't do anything he just takes credit from others," Violet said dryly. "I'm sure glad I'm not him."

"By the way, talkin' about Mr. Satan… what's this about befriending Mr. Satan's daughter, Gohan?" Krillin questioned.

Yamcha spit all the juice he was drinking. "What!" He turned to Gohan with a shocked expression. "You befriended Hercule's kid? _You_? You've got to be kiddin' me! Why would you befriend the daughter of the man who took our credit? _Your_ credit!"

Gohan sighed. He honestly shouldn't be surprised. It was true they let Mr. Satan get away with it, but that didn't mean that the Earth's Special Forces liked to have someone throwing their efforts and hard work to the dust like that. It was indeed, as Goku had said, somewhat frustrating. "Listen guys, Videl is not like her father. Sure, she can be somewhat annoying and extremely bossy, but in the end she's a good person. She fights criminals on the city for Kami-sama's sakes! I know I don't know her that well, but she can be a good friend. I swear! I wouldn't be friends with her if she wasn't! Besides, it's not like all children are like their parents. Take Kuriza as an example. He's the son of an intergalactic, ruthless, gender-confusing tyrant, yet what is he? Just a guy who lives on Planet Vegeta and helps to maintain order and train the soldiers! You see?"

"True." Krillin shrugged. "Guess you're right. But, still, Gohan, try to evade Mr. Satan, okay?" He smirked. "'Cause I'm sure you don't wanna hear one of his pointless speeches, am I right?"

"Are you kiddin'?" Gohan questioned. "I'd probably fall asleep hearin' to that man say his, 'I am the strongest!' speech for the millionth time!" Everyone laughed at this, imagining what a horrible torture would it be to hear Mr. Satan's speech over and over again, with that annoying booming laugh of his and that ego which was definitely over 9000!

* * *

A man who wore sun glasses glanced at their new machine guns on the table and smirked. "Hey, Jimbo, looks like we're gonna 'ave some fun, ey?" he commented, still smirking.

The other man copied his smirk. "It seems so." His smirk widened. "The boss really is gettin' into it, huh? I think he's gonna challenge Mr. Satan for real."

"'Bout time he did."

"Ya think he's gonna win, Slimjim?"

"Of course." Slimjim's smirk never left his face. "After all, we all know Mr. Satan's a sad phony. The boss is, after all, the strongest there is. There's no way he'll lose."

"When do ya think we'll make our move?"

Slimjim glanced at Jumbo and smirked once again. "When the boss decides it's the right time. And it's gonna be soon."


	7. Fighting Stances

Asking the Golden Fighter to be her teammate wasn't so bad. She had to admit, they were quite the team. There was no criminal that was able to get away with their crime because she and her gold-haired partner stopped them dead in their tracks. So far it has been good. She hasn't discovered much about the Golden Fighter, though. She did, however, notice he had a unique fighting style. One she had never seen before. Where did he learn it? Was it a style he came up with or did someone teach it to him? If so, who did? Videl wanted to ask him. But she didn't know if he'd lie or tell the truth. Maybe he didn't trust her yet. Maybe he wouldn't tell her for now. Or maybe he would? She didn't know.

Erasa glanced at her side. Videl seemed lost in her own thoughts again. She had never seen her friend so thoughtful about something. Yet Erasa couldn't really blame her for it. Ever since the Cell Games, Videl has always been curious about who were those Golden Warriors that appeared to fight Cell. Even though everyone knew—or at least, _almost_ everyone _believed_ —it was Mr. Satan who beat Cell, those guys still did some fighting. She remembered watching on TV how those Golden Warriors fought the little Cells just before the TV was cut out. And besides, Videl's theory about the Golden Fighter being the Delivery Boy as a teen made sense. Yet, the blonde girl couldn't help but worry that maybe Videl was taking the whole 'discover the truth of the Golden Fighter' thing way too at heart.

Blinking, Sharpner and Gohan looked at each other and shrugged. They both noticed how deep in thought Videl was but they didn't know why. Well, Gohan had an idea, but he wasn't so sure. After all, he wasn't able to understand what was going on in that girl's mind.

* * *

Hearing the bell ring was one of the most beautiful things for the students. _Especially_ when it was the last bell. Knowing there were no more classes and you were finally free for the day was a beautiful thought for anyone, no doubt. Gohan was happy to be free. Now all he needed to do was to walk somewhere where there were no people and take off to the sky in direction to his home. Then arrive, being ambushed by his little runt of a brother, joke around with his sister, eat his mother's food and talk or spar with his father. Not to mention he didn't need to worry about acting 'normal' anymore. He didn't even need to hide his tail!

As he walked, he saw a car being chased by the police. He and other people stopped to see what was going on.

Slimjim and Jumbo were smirking as they raced with the police. Jumbo was driving while Slimjim was riding shotgun. Besides them, the police car with two policemen glaring at them. "Hey, you donuts-eaters! Catch us if you can!" Jumbo taunted while Slimjim snickered. Jumbo was shown to have very good driving skills when he pushed the police car out of the road without losing control. The police car hit a tap and crashed into a nearby building. Jumbo stopped the car. Both, he and Slimjim got out of the car to admire the 'scenery'.

"Righ' on! You really know how to take care of 'ose stupid cops, Bro," Slimjim complimented with a smirk.

"Yeah!" Jimbo smirked. "I think gettin' the boss' operation movin' is gonna be easier than we thought!"

"Yeah, if all the cops are _this_ stupid. Bro, it's gonna be as easy as hell!"

Gohan walked towards the laughing criminal duo. He couldn't help but have a little smirk on his face. He was going to put them into their place! "You guys shouldn't drive that wild."

Both turned around to face Gohan. "Aw, really? Says who?" Jumbo replied. Slimjim and Jumbo walked towards Gohan.

"Bro, it's a high school kid," Slimjim commented.

"You're pretty rude for a high school kid, 'ey?" Jimbo questioned. "You'll be in a lot of trouble if you provoke the Red Shark Gang. You got that?!" By now, Jimbo grabbed Gohan from his shirt and lifted him up.

Videl ran to the scene but halted when seeing who the one in the criminal's grip was. _'Gohan!'_

Gohan still had the same little smirk on his face, showing he was not scared at all from the Red Shark Gang. "You know, I'm sayin' you're the rude ones here."

Jumbo growled. "Shut up!" He tried to punch Gohan, but Gohan dodged it. Jumbo tried a second time but Gohan got out of the way as well. Videl gasped, shocked. Gohan though, didn't notice her and dropped on a fighting stance. He sensed Videl's Ki on the crowd and shrugged. Whatever. She was going to find out he was a fighter someday, anyways.

"You missed me," the half-breed taunted. "Seems you haven't trained enough."

Jimbo was shaking with anger. "How… did you…" He growled. No one other than his boss questioned his strength! He wouldn't allow it!

"You don't seem to be that strong," Gohan continued. "I bet my little brother could mop the floor with you." It was true. Goten outclassed Jimbo by far, but Jimbo didn't have to know that.

Any self-control Jimbo had against hurting Gohan was sent flying out of the window. "I'm goin' to fuckin' kill you!" He launched himself towards Gohan and launched punches and kicks with the sole intent to kill. Gohan dodged them all, and when he got bored with dodging, he just caught Jimbo's fist and kneed him in the stomach, making sure to use only the necessary strength. _'Well, Piccolo can't say I didn't learn how to dodge,'_ the Saiyan mused quietly to himself as he watched Jimbo grip his stomach and cough up some blood.

Slimjim was quite shocked a teen was able to hurt Jimbo that much. He grunted and glared at Gohan. He went to help his friend to stand. "You okay, bro?"

Jimbo gave a small nod and glared at Gohan. "You little bastard," he seethed as he stood with help of Slimjim. "Don't you dare think you'll get away with this!"

Both criminals got into the car and drove away. Gohan just watched them leave with a smirk. He had stopped them, alright. Most people would get nervous when a criminal like Jimbo would threaten them like that, but not him. After all he'd been through, being threatened by a human criminal was something that wouldn't worry him that much.

"Gohan!"

…But explaining things to Videl would.

Videl rushed to Gohan. She was in complete shock of the event. While she had her suspicions, she wasn't completely sure if Gohan was a fighter. Right now, though, she had seen it with her own eyes. There was silence between the two teens. "Are you okay?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Yeah." And then the silence came back.

"I didn't know you were a fighter," she spoke, breaking the silence between them once again. Her tone was somewhat friendly, but it still had a 'why didn't you tell me sooner?' kind of tone. She had seen the confrontation, and in all honesty Videl was surprised Gohan could handle such a big guy so easily.

Gohan shrugged. "Been one since I was small."

"Really?" Videl blinked. "Who trained you?"

"My dad."

"I see." Videl frowned. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know much about Gohan's father. Gohan didn't say much about himself or his family for that matter. But now she could guess Gohan's dad was a fighter. He must be a strong one, too.

There was the awkward silence one more. "Well, uh, I have to go," Gohan spoke. "See ya!"

Videl waved. "Bye." She watched as Gohan ran away. She wanted to follow him but realized it wouldn't have been worth it. He would probably get away as he did the first time she followed him. Not to mention her head was full of thoughts at the moment. That stance… that was the very same stance she had seen the Golden Fighter use. Not to mention they seems to have similar styles. She frowned. Gohan said his father trained him. That meant… did Gohan's father train the Golden Fighter as well? But the Golden Fighter used those so called tricks! Did that mean Gohan used them too? That wasn't possible! Maybe she got confused and mistook the Golden Fighter's stance with someone else's. Yeah. That must be it!

As Videl was lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice the girl that had seen everything as well. The girl had long, curly, orange hair and purple eyes. Her eyes were shining. She knew Gohan from her class. She had always thought he was handsome, but she didn't know he was a fighter! Strong and handsome—what a perfect combination! Her cheeks became red. Oh, how she would like to be Gohan's girlfriend! All she needed to do, was to make him fall for her too.

* * *

"Stupid, fuckin' brat! I'm gonna show him!" Jumbo was pissed. No one besides his boss has ever beaten him in a fight. Much less a high school student! He was beyond angry and if it was up to him, he would kill that kid with his own hands. The brat had made him cough up his own blood. Jumbo growled as he remembered the black-haired teen's smirk as he taunted him. "When I see him again, I'm definitely gonna kill him!"

Slimjim was driving the car as Jumbo was obviously too pained to drive it. The delinquent was quite surprised a high school kid managed to take on his friend like that. "Bro, don't let it get you that bad. That kid ain't normal."

"You don't say!" Jumbo replied sarcastically. He scowled. "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't land a single punch on the lil' punk! He dodged every single one of 'em! An' he even seemed _bored_ when dodgin' 'em! Just what the hell was he?"

Slimjim shrugged. "Dunno, bro. What I do know, though, is that we gotta inform the boss."

Jimbo grunted. "Fine."

* * *

A tall man paced with a thoughtful frown. His two most trusted followers came in and gave him a report. It was pleasant to find out the police was indeed as stupid as he believed them to be. Yet, he couldn't help to be surprised to hear Jimbo—the second strongest member of his gang right behind him—was beaten by a high school kid. He didn't know if he should be happy or sad about it. Happy because there were more people that seemed to be stronger than Satan and that proved his point of Hercule being a phony. Sad, because maybe the kid would get in their way. He knew—or at least, he believed—the kid would not beat him, the great Rock. Yet he still knew it was dangerous. Then again, the kid may never appear ever again.

Rock walked and gazed out of the window. His lip soon curved into an evil smirk. The kid seemed to be a problem, but not such a big one. Besides, he had waited way too long for this. He was sick and tired of hearing Mr. Satan saying he was the best, that he was the strongest. Rock knew they were all lies.

He cracked his knuckles and his smirk widened. His decision has been made. Tomorrow, the Red Shark Gang was going to get their plan moving, and then he was finally going to show the real phony Mark "Hercule" Satan was.

* * *

The Mayor of Satan City sighed as he continued to work. Another day, more work. He rubbed his eyes. Thankfully, when he finishes these papers, he'd get to have some lunch. Just then, his door burst open. The Mayor almost fell from his chair in surprise. When he looked at the door to see who got in like that, his eyes widened.

A man smirked as he pointed his machine gun at the Mayor. "Sorry, man, but you're our hostage now."

* * *

Lunch was definitely Gohan's favorite part of the day. Well… maybe the second favorite. The first favorite was dinner, because he actually got to eat without worrying about being 'normal' and he was with his family. But still, being with his high school friends wasn't that bad. Even when they had to listen to Pen rambling on about something.

Pen was a brown-haired teenager with glasses that was friends with Sharpner. He was notable for believing himself to be the most cult of the school. And he was proud of it, too. Always using whatever chance he got to show off his knowledge. Gohan didn't mind that much. In fact, he learned a lot from Pen. Unfortunately, Pen was also a firm believer of Mr. Satan being the strongest in the world. Gohan was starting to wonder if there even was someone other than the Z-Fighters and their followers/allies that knew the truth.

All in all, it's been a pleasant lunch. Gohan's friends were starting to get used to the half-breed's eating habits, yet they still couldn't help but wonder where all that food went. The atmosphere, though, was broken when Videl's watch beeped.

"This is Videl," Videl responded.

_"Videl! You've got to come, quick! The Mayor's been kidnapped!"_

"What? The Mayor's been kidnapped?" Videl's face turned into a determined one. "I'll go this instant!" She turned to her friends. "Sorry guys. Gotta go! If I don't manage to come back until lunch ends, tell the teacher why I'm gonna be late, okay?"

"You got it, girl!" Erasa nodded and smiled at her best friend.

"Go kick some ass!" Sharpner called as Videl ran off.

"You think she'll be alright?" Gohan wondered. He knew Videl was more than capable to take care of herself—with humans, at least. But he still worried about her. Not to mention he was supposedly her partner. And it would be hard to come up with an excuse of why the Golden Fighter didn't show up to fight. But it would be even harder to come up with an excuse of why he is late to class all the time. Maybe he shouldn't go help her…

"Of course," Pen snorted. "She _is_ Mister Satan's daughter after all. I say she's about as strong as her father now."

…You know what, change of plans.

* * *

Videl stood tall and proud as she confronted the Red Shark Gang. So, the scum wanted to fight her father, huh? What a joke! They weren't worth her father's time. She was going to kick their asses and make them wish they never met her. She did wonder if the Golden Fighter was going to appear, though…

"Hey, there!"

Speaking of the devil.

The Golden Fighter landed right next to Videl. "Yo!" he greeted. "Sorry I'm late." He smiled sheepishly. He had come up with the excuse that he supposedly needed to get a book in the school's library and that it was better if he went immediately because if not he would definitely forget about it. Funny thing is, it actually worked!

"It's fine," Videl replied with a smile. "The fight hasn't started yet, anyways."

Rock blinked at the blonde's sudden appearance, but he then smirked. "So, this is the so called Golden Fighter we've been hearin' about."

Gohan glanced at them. He didn't know the tall one, but he did recognize those two thugs he fought yesterday. They didn't recognize him, of course. He shrugged. Maybe it was better that way.

"Alright, kiddos. Nice and brave of ya to show up, actin' so high an' tough, but my business here is with Mister Satan. Bring him here!" Rock demanded.

"No!" Videl glared. "My father's got more important business than fighting stupid thugs like you."

_'Like, maybe, hiding in fear,'_ Gohan guessed. _'For that huge ego of his, he's quite the coward.'_

"We're the ones fightin' you here." Videl pointed to herself and the Gold Fighter. "You better not underestimate us."

"Oh, really?" Rock's smirk grew wicked. "Well, fine then. I'll take care of you two little pests first!"

Both Gohan and Videl got into a fighting stance. "You go fight those guys from the back. I'll take the big one on!"

"No," Videl shook her head. "I'll fight the big guy. You take the other ones on." She turned to look at him, and saw his stance. That stance… That stance what exactly the same one Gohan had used yesterday when fighting that thug! She was right! They had the same fighting stance! It wasn't something made by her imagination. It was no mistake either. It was true! But how was it possible?

"What? But why? I wanna take the big guy on," the Super Saiyan replied, snapping Videl out of her thoughts.

Despite her surprise, Videl shook her head. "No. This guy's the one that wants to fight my father. I'll get him from that. You get the others."

Gohan sighed. "Fine."

He charged to the thugs that were holding the mayor hostage. One of them grabbed the machine gun and without remorse he shot. None of the bullets affected Gohan, of course. Noticing this, the thugs were scared for their lives. Slimjim and Jumbo could not believe it. It all happened to quick, but within a second, the Golden Fighter had beaten all of them.

The Mayor's eyes were wide and his jaw was hanging wide open. Never in his life had he seen someone move so fast, be unaffected by bullets and defeat strong thugs so easily! He had heard about the Golden Fighter, but this was the first time he ever saw him in person. But so strong and with such... powers! No wonder why people made a legend out of him!

"Are you okay, sir?" Gohan asked.

The Mayor blinked. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Thank you so much, m'boy! I've never seen someone as powerful as you. You can even take bullets! There's no wonder people made a legend out of you, Golden Fighter!" The Mayor didn't understand how the teenager was able to take bullets and not die, and as anyone else, he wanted an explanation. But the Mayor was a smart man, and he knew that was not the place or time to question him.

Gohan laughed sheepishly. "Thanks, I guess..."He turned to see Videl's fight against Rock. Rock was indeed strong, but Videl was even stronger. She was better trained, and with better strategy than him. Gohan couldn't help but notice that maybe, if Videl learned to control her Ki, she would be an awfully strong warrior. Not as strong as Krillin, Yamcha or Tien but strong enough to put up a good fight with them.

Deciding to end the fight, Videl kicked Rock's gut hard. He groaned and put his hands in his stomach before falling unconscious. Videl smirked. "Work's done."

Gohan nodded. "Indeed." He checked the hour on his watch. _'CRAPBASKETS! Lunch's break's about to end!'_ He turned to Videl. "Sorry, Videl. But I've got some business to attend to. 'Til the next crime for us to stop appears! Bye!" And without a word, Gohan took off, surprising the Mayor and the police.

"I wonder why he was in such a hurry," Videl spoke softly as she checked her watch. _'OH DARN IT! Lunch's break's about to end!'_ She turned to the policemen. "Guys, take these guys to jail where they belong. I gotta go, right now!" And ignoring all of the policemen's calls, she ran to her school in hopes of arriving in time.

* * *

The bell just rang when Videl managed to catch up with her friends at school. "Yes! I did it in time!"

Erasa smiled at her. "Hey, girl! How did the crime-stopping go?"

"It was fine," Videl replied. She glanced at Gohan, still suspicious about him, when noticing a book in his hands. "What's with the book, Gohan?"

Gohan shrugged. "I needed to get a book from the library. It took me almost the whole break to find it but in the end, I found it!" Knowing it was suspicious to come back with no book when he said he was going to go to the library, Gohan made a run for it and got whatever book he found. He found a biology book that just happened to have contents that they were learning, so it didn't look suspicious.

Videl nodded, believing the book story but still with suspicions. After all, she did realize Gohan had the same fighting style than the Golden Fighter. She shrugged it off. English was up next and the teacher had said they were going to discuss a very interesting topic for today's class. Videl just wondered what it was.

As they entered the classroom, the same orange-haired girl that saw Gohan fight yesterday smiled at him, a pink blush covering her cheeks. She giggled to herself, imagining how cool and romantic it would be to have Gohan as her boyfriend...


	8. The Article

All students sat at their chairs, wondering what their teacher, Miss Hamilton, had prepared them for English. Last class, she had said next class was going to be a very interesting class. The students weren't so sure whether to believe her or not, but they just settled to wait what was the so called 'interesting topic'.

Miss Hamilton grinned, seeing the doubt in her student's faces. While she couldn't talk for everyone, she knew the topic would be an interesting topic to discuss. She herself was very curious about that topic, and to discuss it with her students sounded good enough. It would let her know what now-at-days teenagers' thoughts about it.

"Okay, class!" she called loudly. "For today's class, I've brought an article that we will read and then discuss." She frowned when seeing the students' bored faces. "Hey, now don't you go put that face, because this isn't your average article. Believe me, it's much interesting than the others we've read before." Miss Hamilton asked some students to help her hand out the articles. When Gohan saw the article's title, the color was drained from his face. In big, bold letters, you could read:

**_"THE MYSTERY OF CAPSULE CORPORATION."_ **

Erasa noticed Gohan's expression and got worried. "Gohan, what's wrong? You're kinda pale." This, of course, got Videl's attention immediately.

"I am?" Gohan played dumb. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just remembered a… favor my mom asked me to do that I had completely forgotten about. No biggie!" He smiled and hoped to look calm, but inside he felt like cutting his veins. _'The Mystery of Capsule Corporation! Seriously! From all articles Miss Hamilton could bring she just_ had _to bring one about something I'm related to in some way, right? At least it isn't about the Cell Games or something…'_

Videl's eyes narrowed. _'Something's fishy here…'_

Miss Hamilton smiled, she, of course, completely unaware of poor Gohan's distress. "Well, let's begin then. We'll read it once all together. I'll read, and you'll follow my reading. Got it?" At the students' nods, she smiled approvingly. "Good. Well, then… _The Mystery of Capsule Corporation. As we all know, Capsule Corporation is the biggest company of the world. It was first founded by the famous Doctor Briefs, scientist who invented the famous DynoCaps. But have you ever noticed that inside that building, there are always weird things going on? There are many strange events that have happened in that building, and we, the citizens do not know what._

" _There are people who claim they have seen spaceships taking off and landing from the very building itself. Even if it's said no Earthlings have ever been on outer space, there are rumors Capsule Corporation has sent people to outer space for missions of investigation. Some people even say Capsule Corporation has a friendship of anything of sort with aliens. It is even rumored Doctor Briefs' youngest daughter, Bulma Briefs, is married to an alien, though this is just a rumor and it has not been confirmed._ " Gohan couldn't believe what he was reading. It was sad it was actually true. Capsule Corporation did have a friendship with aliens, there have been people sent to outer space (though it was more due to the Z-Fighters more than the company itself), and Bulma's husband was indeed an alien—an alien prince to be more precise. How did the people find out about that?

" _This is not the only thing. People who live nearby say they often hear random explosions, as well as earthquakes, rumbles, among others. The best explanation to all of these successes is the experiments that are made on the company. As it is known, Capsule Corporation is always inventing new things to improve our lives, and these 'occurrences' may be just consequences of the experiments made._ "

_'Or even better explanation: Vegeta breaking the Gravity Room for the millionth time!'_ Gohan couldn't help but think. He was sure most of those explosions, earthquakes, rumbles, whatever were produced by their fights and training in CC. The Saiyan Prince lived there—how could you _not_ have a little explosion or earthquake here and there?

" _In addition, witnesses have said they have seen some 'bullets' taking off and landing in the building. Some even say they are people like any of us who somehow fly in the air. While this is not confirmed, the most known explanation to all this is that those people are just employees testing new jetpacks or flying shoes. This may be the most reasonable explanation to these dots that just come flying in and out Capsule Corp._ "

_'Oh, God, they're talking about us!'_ Gohan realized. _'We've always just flew in and out of there without a care in the world. Who would've thought so many people noticed us?'_

" _But all of these situations that have been mentioned does not surpass the following occurrence,_ " Miss Hamilton continued reading. Somehow, Gohan knew what they were about to say (well, read), so he simply prayed they were not going to talk about that. Of course, luck wasn't on the demi-Saiyan's side. " _While this is not a frequent as the other examples, this is by far the most bizarre. Suddenly the sky would get dark, and out came some kind of dragon from Capsule Corporation. Green, with blood red eyes, pointed teeth and claws. There have been seen two different versions of this so-called dragon._ "

_'Shenron and Porunga,'_ Gohan guessed. _'It's true we've just summoned them there, not caring we were in the middle of the city where thousands of people could see them, now that I think about it…'_

" _The first time the dragon appeared, it had caused fear among the civilians, until it was confirmed to be an experiment on Capsule Corporation. After then, for the last few years, there have been times when the sky turns dark and the dragon appears. Now people are not as worried as now they know it was an experiment. But was it really? If it was, how did they do it? There's so many questions and a very few answers._ "

_'We've wanted to bring people back to life or to wish for destroyed or lost things back and we just got the Dragon Balls and summoned the dragon,'_ Gohan answered on his mind. _'That isn't so hard to get, right? Now that I think about it, I wonder how many people know about the Dragon Balls…'_

" _To sum up, we can say Capsule Corporation is a company that despite being one of the best, most helpful companies in the world, it is full of mysteries and strange events we cannot explain. Some say it's because of a secret deal with the government, others say Capsule Corporation is working neither with any other company nor with the government. There are many people who have come up with theories of what happens inside the building, but no one knows the real answers other than the protagonists themselves_."

Miss Hamilton looked up to her students. Seeing the interested expressions on their faces, she smiled. "See, this _was_ interesting!" She cleared her throat. "Now, you will divide yourselves in groups of maximum four people and you'll discuss the article together. After you finish, we will discuss the article all together. You choose the groups as long as you work. You've got ten minutes to work."

The orange haired girl, named Angela, glanced to Gohan and giggled. This may be her chance to actually talk with him! Silently she stood up and walked towards him. When she got nearer, she gave her best smile. "Um… Gohan…" she began, determined to ask him to be with her, but stopped when realizing he was already with Videl, Erasa and Sharpner.

"Uh… yeah?" Gohan inquired.

"Um… n-nothing. I just wanted to ask for an eraser 'cause I thought I lost it, but I had it in my pocket the whole time! Man, I'm so klutzy! Sorry about that!" She forced a smile and returned to her seat, muttering to herself about how stupid she must've looked.

Sharpner blinked three times and then faced Gohan. "Any particular reason she just _had_ to ask for an eraser to you?"

Gohan shrugged. "Well, gee, I don't know! I've never even talked to her before. Hell, I don't even know her name!"

"Her name's Angela," Videl informed.

"Angela?"

"Yup." Erasa nodded. "Angela's the most boy-loving girl you'll ever meet." At Gohan's skeptical look, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. You must be thinkin' who am I, Erasa, to talk about a girl like that? You see, I _know_ I tend to think most boys are cute and all, but that's all there is to it. Angela, on the other hand, actually _falls_ in love with 'em—as in, in _love_." She shrugged. "She's got that habit of hers of falling in love at first sight."

"Not only that, but I've been told that when she meets someone 'cuter' or 'cooler' than you, she completely forgets she even had feelings for you and falls in love with that other guy," Sharpner added.

"You're... kiddin'." Gohan had a hard time believing a girl could be like that. He knew about love at first sight, and as crazy it sounded it actually happened. His mother fell in love with his father that way after all. But he had never heard about a girl that fell in love with someone, and the moment she saw someone cuter she fell in love with another. It was just crazy!

"No we're not. Though it's true it's just crazy," Videl said, guessing Gohan's thoughts. _'At least he's got a normal opinion on this.'_

"I don't think she actually _means_ to be that way," Erasa commented. "That's just the way she is."

"Hey!" Miss Hamilton called. "Have you four finished commenting the article as now you're talking about any other things?"

"Uh... no! We're sorry, Miss Hamilton!" Videl apologized. "We'll discuss it right now!"

_'Crap!'_

Miss Hamilton nodded. "Now, that's the way I like it."

"All right. Now let's comment on this thing." Sharpner sighed. "So, who starts?"

"Why don't _you_ start first, Gohan?" Videl inquired, curious to hear his opinion.

"Uh..." _'Dammit!'_ "Well, I... uh... I think the article was pretty... interesting. I mean, I _didn't have_ **_any_** _idea_ that all of those things happened in Capsule Corp., 'cause you know, I don't live there." Gohan hoped the others would buy that. To his luck, they did—even Videl did.

"Yeah," Erasa agreed. "I didn't know about all that either."

"What surprised me the most was, honestly, the dragon thingy," Sharpner commented. "If that really happened, then how did they do it?"

Gohan shrugged, acting as he didn't know despite he actually knew the answer. "Technology these days, I guess."

Videl nodded in agreement. "True. But another thing that called my attention was those supposed guys who flew in and out Capsule Corp." She glanced at Gohan to see what he would say.

"I-I think that that's 'cause, as the article said, those people are testin' jetpacks or something," Gohan replied, somewhat nervous.

"It kind of reminds me of those mysterious guys from the Cell Games," Videl continued.

"You mean, the tricksters?" Sharpner asked. Gohan knew Sharpner didn't mean to offend him and the blonde probably had no idea who he was really referring to, but that didn't stop the half-breed to grit his teeth and clench his fists.

"Yeah, you're actually right!" Erasa realized.

Gohan, wanting to end the conversation there, tried to come up with an explanation. "Well, who knows?" he asked. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Maybe it's 'cause those guys had technology of CC and thought that it was a good idea to show 'em off at the Cell Games." Gohan hated himself for saying that about his friends, father and himself. The only reason they went to the Cell Games to begin with was because if they didn't go, Cell would destroy the planet.

Unlike Mister Satan, who thought of the Cell Games as some kind of joke, they took it very seriously. They trained hard to defeat the evil android. Gohan remembered perfectly that day. As it was a tournament, only one of them could fight. Goku had gone first, with full intention of either beating him or weakening him enough for his son to finish him.

Gohan remembered when Goku had told him about his transformation at the Room of Spirit and Time that only lasted about a second. At first he could not believe it, but then he realized his father was telling the truth. With that power, and his father, Piccolo and the others there to back him up, he wasn't that worried. That's why he was confident, calm, when being at the Cell Games.

In order to prevent the possibility of losing from ring-out, Cell destroyed the ring. That's when everyone noticed there were no more rules. When Goku had used the Instant Kamehameha on him, even if he destroyed the upper part of his body, Cell had survived. It was a bummer considering everyone believed Goku had defeated him. Cell would later explain that as long as one cell of his remained, he could regenerate. Anyways, Goku asked Trunks for a Senzu Bean as he was tired. Trunks threw it to him, but Cell then caught it and ate it himself.

That's when things started to go spiral downwards.

As Cell had his energy back, while Goku was weakened, he overpowered the Saiyan and started to beat him. Gohan could remember seeing his father losing the fight against the bio-android. He could remember how angry he was and how madly he wanted to jump in and help his father. Cell, of course, noticed this.

_Gohan's fists clenched as he watched his father's fight against Cell. He was angry, very angry. Cell had eaten the Senzu Bean that was meant for his father! That monster... he had no honor at all! And to think that one of the things that mattered most to the Saiyans were honor! And Cell had Saiyan cells in him! The Super Saiyan boy gritted his teeth. How badly he wanted to go save his father!_

_Goku cough up some blood after getting punched hard in the gut, but somehow, he still smiled as he stood up, despite the pain. Maybe it was the thrill of the fight. Even if he was losing, he had a rush of adrenaline running through his veins. Raised on Earth or not, there was no doubt he was a Saiyan. But he knew this wasn't a competition. The sake of the planet as well as his loved ones—his friends and his family—were at stake. He could not lose!_

_That was when he sensed his son's Ki rising. And he could tell Cell sensed it too as the bio-android glanced at the young boy. "Ah, Son Gohan." The bug-like invention of Doctor Gero smiled evilly. "It seems you are eager to join the fight." Cell crossed his arms. "Well, I was starting to get bored. It would be nice if some more punching bags joined the fight. But it wouldn't be fair if I had to fight all of you alone, would it?" He chuckled manically. "Let's see here..." He started counting the Z-Fighters besides Goku who were there, that were: Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Piccolo, Chiaotzu, Bardock, Raditz, Tanip, Kyuri, Mato, Resu, Celga, Tarble and Android #16. "Seventeen in total. Quite the crowd, but that should be easy enough."_

That's when he did it. That's when he created the dreadful Cell Juniors. All extremely powerful, some better at close combat range, some better at Ki manipulation, yet all were just as lethal. He remembered all of those little _things_ laughing madly as they beat them up. It had stopped being a one-on-one battle. It was now a battle between Cell and the Cell Juniors versus the Z-Fighters. It was a team battle.

Gohan would never forget the frustration he felt when he realized he couldn't make a difference. His frustration at the fact he couldn't unleash the power that was within him. But the straw that broke the camel was when Cell attacked him, yet he didn't notice due to being lost in thought, and his father got the blast for him. That was when he snapped and turned Super Saiyan 2 for the first time.

Gohan remembered perfectly. He killed all the Cell Juniors. He overpowered Cell. He made him spit out Android 18. He got too cocky. Cell's desperate plan to destroy Earth ...His father scarified himself... Cell survived and killed Trunks. Vegeta went berserk and tried to kill Cell. He hurt his arm trying to save Vegeta. His father told him to do a Kamehameha to counterattack Cell's Kamehameha with one arm. He did, and with some help of his friends, won. He fainted from exhaustion. They went to the Lookout, got healed and summoned the Dragon. They revived Goku, Trunks, and everyone else who was killed by the androids. They removed the bombs from Androids 16, 17 and 18. Life then returned to normal...

Except for Mister Satan stealing their credit, that is.

But what could they do about it? Everyone loved the man and besides, it saved them from the press. His father had told him that after King Piccolo, the press had invaded Kame House looking for answers. It was so much that the Z-Fighter hid in a submarine for a whole day. Besides, Mr. Satan was a really good joke for the Earth's Special Forces. It wasn't strange for them to joke about him, saying things like _"What would Mr. Satan do in this situation? Fake stomachache!"_ or _"Guess who I am! I'm the champ of the world who is that much cowardly that he spends the whole fight hidin' behind a rock!"_ or _"When it comes to freak accidents, Mister Satan's a pro!"_ or _"Hercule probably wears a wig that he bought at the thrift shop!"_

Much to Gohan's happiness (and Videl's disappointment since she wasn't able to question him) the teacher said time was up and it was time to talk about the conclusions they got from the article. Everyone believed more or less the same. It was the experiments, the technology. None of them believed in supernatural things or stuff like that.

Gohan was surprised on how closed-minded everyone was. He and the Earth's Special Forces had learned long ago, that Earthlings denied believing something that didn't have a so called 'logical' explanation. Gohan didn't understand why, but he had to admit that, this time, he was glad his classmates didn't suspect.

Videl glanced at Gohan. When she mentioned the Cell Games, he had just come with some explanation as if to end the conversation. She could be wrong, but at that moment, she couldn't help but think that Gohan may have something to do with the Cell Games (and the Delivery Boy) after all.

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" Bulma asked to the phone.

_"No, I'm not,"_ Gohan replied in the phone. He had shook his head no but then remembered Bulma couldn't see him. _"They really gave me an article talkin' about all the weird things that has happened in Capsule Corporation."_

"Well, I guess we shouldn't be that surprised if we consider we never cared about what people would think when we summoned the Dragon, sent ships to space or whatever," Bulma commented.

_"I know that,"_ Gohan commented. _"I just thought it would be better to tell you though. There's some people that even suspect your husband's an alien! Not that they're wrong.."_

Bulma nodded, understanding. "Yeah. I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for telling me, Gohan."

_"No problem, Bulma!"_ Gohan replied. _"Well, until next time!"_

"Bye!" She put the phone in the table and sighed. An article about all the weird things that has happened in Capsule Corporation… She shouldn't be surprised, really. They never worried about what witnesses or whoever was nearby would think. These were the consequences. Although they weren't as bad as they could've been. One lousy article is no problem. Besides, it's not like they couldn't cause an earthquake, or an explosion, or make people fly with jetpacks if they actually tried! You didn't need super strong aliens to destroy the Gravity Room or fly or whatever!

"What's up, B?" Tights asked her sister, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Tights," Bulma started. "Next time we make an experiment… let's do a real loud explosion, okay!"

Tights blinked, not understanding Bulma's comment or why she said it. "Um… okay?"


	9. Namesakes

Videl searched for the Cell Games videos CD—one of the _few_ actual Cell Game videos, not reenactments—on the shelf. Ah, there it was! Videl grinned as she grabbed the CD and ran to her room. After putting the CD and putting on the video, she watched it for what it felt like the hundredth time. When she was little, she usually watched the video, wondering who were those mysterious fighters that appeared at the Cell Games. It was funny that after all this time she was going to watch it due to the same reason. She stopped the video the moment the _"Golden Warriors"_ appeared. There were a lot of them—eighteen in total. Her eyes narrowed as she studied their appearances.

First there was a man, a bald man with three eyes. Said man was wearing a green Gi and seemed to be serious and pretty tough. Besides him, there was a short little guy, with extremely pale skin and red cheeks. He wore a black hat, a white tank top and black pants. Besides them, there was a man with black, spiky hair and scars on his face. He wore an orange Gi. Not too far away from them, stood three men that somewhat resembled to each other. Videl guessed they were family. The shortest and seemingly oldest of the duo was a spiky, black-haired man with black eyes a scowl that could give you the creeps. The youngest had long lavender hair pulled back in a ponytail and he had blue eyes. The other one looked a lot like the older man, but he wasn't nearly as intimidating, and he was shorter. The three of them were wearing some kind of armor. But what called Videl's attention the most were those furry, brown, monkey-like tails the three men had.

There was a man that had wild, black, spiky hair and a scar on his face. There was a man with very long, wild black hair. There was a man with his hair tied into a ponytail. There was another man standing beside him, who had short black spiky hair with his sides and back trimmed shorter. Beside them, there were three women. They all looked young, and Videl couldn't tell how old they were. They all had black, spiky hair, and black eyes, but their hairstyles were different. One had long hair that went down to her waist, and she had bangs covering her forehead. The other had hair that went past her shoulders, but it wasn't as long as the first woman's, and had bangs covering her forehead as well. The last woman had her hair held up in a ponytail, and she had two fringes of hair that fell in either side of her face. They all wore armors, and they also had the same monkey-like tails the trio of men had.

There was a man with orange hair and icy blue eyes. He was stall and had an emotionless yet serious expression on his face. Not too far from him, stood the other four. There was a tall, green man who wore a purple Gi with a cape and a turban. There was also a short, bald man, with an orange Gi and a blue undershirt. Besides him, there was the blonde haired guy that fought Cell at the beginning, and besides him was, of course, the Delivery Boy. Pretty much as most of the other warriors, the two blondes had monkey-like tails, but instead of brown, it was golden.

Videl pondered. She has never met a human with a tail. Sure, she has met cats, dogs, raccoons or whatever who had tails, but never a human. Then again, humans evolved from monkeys, right? Well... not exactly monkeys... but apes. Was it possible for a few humans to have kept the tail or something? Videl shook her head. That sounded ridiculous. But the Delivery Boy had a tail—a golden monkey-like tail. If the Golden Fighter indeed was the Delivery Boy, then shouldn't the Golden Fighter have a tail, too?

She tried to remember if she ever saw the Golden Fighter with a tail, but she couldn't. Of course, there was this weird, golden, furry belt he used but there was absolutely _no way_ that was a tail. Gohan also wears a furry belt and he doesn't even have a tail!

Right?

Videl shook her head. Of course that was right! There was absolutely _no freaking way_ Gohan had a tail. Sure, he wasn't 'normal', but having a tail would be kinda way too much.

She sighed. Thinking like this wouldn't get her anywhere. She got her laptop and started searching information on the Internet. Something— _anything_ —that could help her to find out more of these mysterious people. All the information she could find on the Delivery Boy and the Golden Fighter were just random things that she already knew. There was one piece of information, however, that may just give her more answers.

It said that those Golden Warriors of the Cell Games may be some members of the mysterious Earth's Special Forces.

Earth's Special Forces...

What _were_ the Earth's Special Forces? She didn't remember hearing about them. But if it was said the Delivery Boy had to do with that, then maybe the Golden Fighter also had something to do with them! She now searched on the Internet about the so-called Earth's Special Forces. There was not much information about them, but she found out that they were, supposedly, an Elite team of protectors of Earth. It wasn't known if they worked under the King or not, apparently, though it seemed they were totally independent. She also found out that the Mysterious Boy who defeated the Great Demon King Piccolo was said to be a member of this mysterious Elite team.

Videl didn't remember much, but she did recall being taught in History about the Great Demon King Piccolo Wars. Apparently, a boy, just about one or two years younger than her, beat the Great Demon in a fierce battle on Central City. It is said that the King got the chance to speak with the boy, but refused to tell the world about the boy's name, as the Mysterious Boy requested his identity to be a mystery. Videl groaned. Why everyone that was a hero or something hid their identities from the world? What was the point? Were they ashamed of saving the world or something?

She shook her head and sighed. Well, there had to be at least _someone_ who knew who that boy was. She searched information about the Great Demon King Piccolo and found out that the Legendary Turtle Hermit Master Roshi actually fought against him. She knew that Roshi was a legend in the martial arts world and that only very few got selected to train under him. Now that her memory served her right, in the tournaments before the 24th, Roshi's students participated frequently. Wasn't the former champ a student of Roshi? And didn't the former champ fight against Piccolo in the finals of the Tournament? Maybe he was the Mysterious Boy? He was pretty young when he won. Dang it, why wasn't she able to remember the former champ's name? It has been so long since she last thought about him, so she just forgot his name.

She searched the names of Master Roshi's students, and found only five. Only five people were worthy enough to train under the Great Master Roshi. Videl had thought it had been more people but apparently she was wrong. There were just five names written.

Videl read the names slowly. She started to think about everything she knew about said person. Ox-King was a feared man, who was said to always carry a powerful axe, but then settled down and started ruling a small village. Yamcha was a tournament finalist, and if her memory served her right, he was also an ex-desert bandit and a famous baseball player. Krillin was a tournament finalist as well. Wait... Krillin? Wasn't that... wasn't that the guy that they met at the mall? But there was no way! Gohan was friends with an ex-tournament finalist?! There was no way! It had to be another Krillin or something. Even though he did seem like the guy who managed to get into the tournament's finals. But how come Gohan knew an ex-finalist? That meant _she_ met an ex-finalist—someone she had always hoped to meet—and she didn't even realize it? No way! Gohan had some explaining to do!

She continued reading the names. Next one was Son Goku... The former Champion! _That_ was his name! Now she could remember! He was said to be extremely powerful, and apparently, he beat Piccolo and won the World Martial Arts Tournament at the age of eighteen. But, for some reason, after that, he just disappeared. There were very few interviews and videos of him after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, but then they just ended. There were no more interviews or videos of Son Goku. There was no trace of him. Videl could remember that he had a fiancée, so she guessed he must've gone start a family.

Chi-Chi was the name of Son Goku's fiancée. Videl knew that because when she was little, she admired Chi-Chi. She admired her because she proved that women could be perfectly as strong as men. Sure, she lost against her own lover in the quarter finals, but it was still amazing she managed to get into the tournament's finals without that much problems. Videl was told that in the old preliminaries, there was no punching machine but some kind of 'mini tournaments', and the eight strongest passed to the real tournament. That meant Chi-Chi must've beaten a lot of people to even manage to pass to quarter-finals. Truth was; Videl wished she could be just like her—that she would be able to participate in the tournament, and show everyone women could kick as much ass as men. Maybe she'd even manage win the _Tenka'ichi Budōkai_ someday!

Hercule's daughter couldn't help but wonder what happened with Son Goku and Chi-Chi. Did they start a family? Her father had said the reason Son Goku didn't participate in the 24th Tournament was because he was a trickster and a coward. The truth was that, even thought it was true Son Goku used those tricks, Videl doubted Son Goku was a coward. He wouldn't have fought Piccolo if he was one. Maybe Son Goku was busy at the time and just wasn't able to go to the tournament. Maybe he was busy at the time, so he couldn't show up.

She shrugged. She couldn't know what the reasons the former Champ didn't participate in the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament and neither did his friends. Even though it was true she would like to find out. Well, what happened already happened. She proceeded to read the last name and when she did she froze in shock.

_'There is absolutely no way…'_ Videl thought in shock. _'It just can't be…'_

The last name was a name Videl wasn't expecting. Not even in her wildest dreams would she expect that name to be on the short list of students of the Great Master Roshi. She must've read wrong, but when she read it for the fifth time she knew she wasn't going insane.

Son Gohan was really the name written them.

But that… there was no way! Yet that was the same name her classmate had! Even the surname was the same! But how was it possible? Gohan wasn't a student of Master Roshi! There was absolutely no way he was! Maybe it was just coincidence, and they just happened to have the same name. Yeah… that must be it! That just _must_ be it!

In order to assure herself, she searched for Son Gohan on the internet, and almost sighed in relief when seeing Son Gohan was an old man who trained with Roshi many, many years ago, before any of them were even born. Besides, Gohan had said his father trained him, and there was _no way_ Gohan was Roshi's son. That just wouldn't be right. Roshi was said to be an old man—an old man _way_ too old to be Gohan's father.

But how come they had the same name? The same name _and_ the same surname! How was it possible? She couldn't understand it. Maybe Gohan's parents were fans of the original Son Gohan and named their son after him? Maybe it was just coincidence? Maybe Gohan actually had something to do with his namesake, but what?

Videl's head was full of questions at the moment. She would've looked for more information, but decided not to. This new information was almost just too much to handle, and if she read anything else her head would definitely explode. Not to mention she was tired. It had been a tough day she was tired physically and mentally. It was as she wanted to look for more information, yet she didn't feel like it. She had just so many suspicions and theories right now. She was starting to realize Son Gohan was more of what meets the eye. She was starting to get more and more curious about him. She knew he wasn't like everyone else from the very beginning but it seemed there was more to it than just being different. He was a fighter, he was friends with former Tournament finalists, and he had the same name as a famous martial artist.

If Videl had read some few more paragraphs on Grandpa Son Gohan, she may have just realized the truth. However, she didn't. Though the truth was, she was going to find the reason her classmate had the same name as the famous martial artist Son Gohan sooner than what she thought.


	10. Knowledge

The next day, Videl groaned as the alarm clock rang. She practically smashed the clock's button. Anything to make it shut up! She yawned and stretched. At least she had her ideas straighter now. Sleeping could do that to you. It was beautiful. Of course, she still had a lot of questions. Questions of what she found out yesterday on the Internet. Son Gohan, her classmate and even her friend, was friends with a WMAT finalist. Not to mention he had the same name than that famous martial artist. His name was even similar to the former Champ's name too! It was definitely weird.

_'I guess I'll ask him about it at school,'_ Videl mused to herself. _'Maybe he'll feel like answering a thing or two this time. And if he doesn't, there's always the Internet.'_ Videl couldn't describe how much she loved that invention called the Internet right now. You could definitely find anything there. Even information people like Gohan didn't want to give away.

Or the Golden Fighter for that matter.

She had a little smile on her face as she grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom to get a nice, warm shower to start her day. Somehow, she knew today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Gohan groaned as his alarm clock—or better said, his sugar-high-like energetic younger brother—jumped up and down on his bed trying to wake him up.

"Big Brother!" Goten cried as he jumped up and down on Gohan's bed. "Get up! Get up, up, up, up! _Up_!"

"I'm going! I'm going!" Gohan snapped as he yawned.

"Y'better hurry up 'cause Mom says you've got school!" Goten said with a grin. "An' you don't wanna be late!"

"I'm _always_ late!" was Gohan's reply as he slowly got out of bed. It felt horrible to move out of the commodity of his bed. It was like he was chained to it. When he was a child, he was energetic and always got out of bed with a start. He could remember how he always woke up smiling, eager to start a new day and be with his family, Piccolo and the others. No matter what was on the day's schedule—training, studying, or just relaxing—he was always energetic. It was when he became a teen than this whole 'I don't wanna leave my bed!' thing started. Gohan guessed he could now understand his father on those weird days Goku didn't feel like moving out of bed yet, but he still went to his parents' room along with Chimaki and practically forced them both to get up.

But this time there was more to it. It was weird. He had a bad feeling. It was... it was as if something was going to happen today. It wasn't like Cell and Frieza coming back from the death a hundred times more powerful than before, of course. It was... it was just a feeling that something was going to happen that was not by his favor. Like Hercule Satan coming to his school and him having to hear the man's 'I am the strongest!' speech. Yeah, something like that.

_'Let's just hope it's not that,'_ Gohan thought quietly as he went to take a shower. _'I don't think I'd be capable of hearing the man's speech without falling asleep. I'd rather fight Frieza... though I guess Frieza wouldn't be that hard to beat now at days.'_

* * *

Gohan walked in direction to his school. After his shower, getting dressed, and having breakfast with his family, Gohan set off to Satan City. He landed on the city's limits and started walking. He glanced at his watch. He was, surprisingly, on time. And there was no crime or whatever for the Golden Fighter to take care of. That was good. Maybe that bad feeling he had that morning wasn't anything important after all.

"Gohan!"

Gohan turned to see his blonde-haired friend running to him. "Hey, Erasa."

"Hi, Gohan," Erasa replied as she caught up with him. "You're going to school early. That's weird!"

"I know!" Gohan agreed with a chuckle. "Miracles happen, I guess. Then again, my alarm clock, or in other words, my younger brother, did wake me up pretty early."

"Your little brother wakes you?" Erasa giggled. "Aw, how cute!"

"Yeah, you can blame him for all the times I've been late," Gohan said. It was half-true after all. Sometimes even Goten slept in too. Those days, he had to rely in his super speed to actually be on time—not that he managed to, anyways.

Erasa giggled a little more. Gohan and Erasa started to have a casual conversation about anything that came to mind as they walked towards their school. Gohan couldn't help but smile as Erasa told him about a gossip she heard. He had friends, and some of them were also his age, like Lime. But none of them were in high school with him. It felt nice to know he also had friends there.

* * *

Videl arrived to her class. She was surprised to see Gohan was there on time. After all, he was usually late. She wanted to go question him then and there but stopped herself from doing so when seeing Gohan was hearing Erasa gossiping about something. Videl didn't have the heart to tell her best friend to continue telling her story another day as she wanted to talk to Gohan. It wouldn't be nice. She gave a little sigh and walked towards her friends.

"Hey, guys," she greeted coolly.

Both, Gohan and Erasa turned. "Hey, Videl!" Gohan greeted.

"What's up, girl?" Erasa asked with a smile. "No crime for you to stop today?"

"Nope." Videl sat beside Erasa and Gohan. "What're you guys talking about?"

Erasa wasted no time in filling her in about what she and Gohan were talking. Videl was somewhat disappointed that it seemed Gohan hadn't told anything suspicious to Erasa, but then pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She could question him later anyways.

The three friends chatted until Sharpner arrived and joined the conversation. Pen also happened to appear and joined them. The five teenagers chatted until their head-teacher arrived to start the class.

* * *

History was a subject Gohan liked. It was interesting and the teacher was really friendly. He was a brown-haired man with brown-eyes, around the same age as Goku, who happened to be friendly and out-going. He always made the classes to be fun and he had this ability of his to keep the class interested. His name was Mr. Historia, and honestly, he was one of Gohan's favorite teachers.

Mr. Historia smiled as he glanced at his class. "Alright, students! As you've probably heard, the famous _Tenka'ichi Bud_ _ō_ _kai_ —better known as the World Martial Arts Tournament—is said to be coming back once again this year!"

_'What?'_ Gohan asked mentally. _'The World Martial Arts Tournament is coming back? How come? After Dad won there were no more Tournaments 'cause he and Piccolo blew up the ring. The only Tournament that happened was the 24th, which was the one Mister Satan won, I think. We didn't participate 'cause we were too worried about the Androids to care about Tournaments. But after the 24th, there were no more Tournaments. Dunno why, though. It'd be nice if we all went to participate. I think Dad and the others would get kinda nostalgic.'_

_'The World Martial Arts Tournament is really going to come back, huh?'_ Videl asked in her mind. _'Great! It'll be an awesome opportunity to test my strength! Maybe I'll even be able to fight Dad!'_

"Due to this reason," Mr. Historia continued. "I have decided that this class we'll talk about the last five World Martial Arts Tournaments! From the 20th to the 24th! We'll learn about the fights, the participants, and of course the Champion!"

Gohan's face fell. _'What? But, that means...!'_

Videl grinned. _'Yes! I might just get the information I wanna know.'_ She glanced at Gohan, who seemed somewhat paler than usual. _'Yeah, he's definitely hiding something. Let's see what I can find out now!'_

Mr. Historia smiled, unaware of Gohan's distress, and began teaching. "We'll talk in chronological order. First, there was the 20th World Martial Arts Tournament, which was held on May 7th of Age 745. This Tournament was won by King Chappa. King Chappa was a famous martial artist and a strong one too. He was said to have won the Tournament without being hit even once."

"Not even once?" a student questioned.

"How is that possible?" another wondered.

"Well, while I am not a martial artist myself, I believe that if you train, prepare yourself, and give it all you've got with dedication and hope, you'll be able to do anything," Mr. Historia said. "Even something as crazy as being able to fly and reach the sky." That last phrase was said softly, as if he had said it to himself. Gohan though, heard him anyways.

_'Even something as crazy as being able to fly and reach the sky?'_ Gohan repeated in his mind. _'Does it mean… Mr. Historia actually believes in Ki?'_

While Mr. Historia explained the 20th World Martial Arts Tournament, Gohan wondered if Mr. Historia actually didn't believe in Mr. Satan's lies and instead believed in Ki. Gohan's thoughts were soon interrupted the moment he heard Mr. Historia say: "Five years later, in Age 750, the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament was held."

_'Crap…'_ Gohan thought. _'This is the first Tournament Dad and the others participated in! Just what will he say about them? I don't think he'll call them tricksters if he believes in Ki. Then again, I don't even know if he actually believes in Ki or not.'_ The half-breed frowned. _'He's better not say anything bad and untrue about my dad and my friends!'_

Mr. Historia smiled softly as memories came to him. "The 21st World Martial Arts Tournament was the first Tournament I went," he stated.

"You've gone to a World Tournament, Mr. Historia?" a student asked. "We didn't know that."

Mr. Historia nodded. "Why, yes. When I was twelve years old, my father—who happened to be a fan of martial arts—took me to the World Martial Arts Tournament. I was very excited to go. In fact, I was ecstatic. It was so much fun, and the battle there were awesome. I'll never forget them." Gohan perked up when hearing this.

"But aren't the people who participated in that and the Tournaments to come before the one Mister Satan won tricksters?" a student asked innocently. Gohan snapped his head to his classmate's direction and glared daggers at that student, but he didn't notice.

"No. I don't think they were tricksters," Mr. Historia replied honestly. "I went to the 21st, the 22nd and the 23rd World Tournaments, and I can assure you there were no mirrors or cables or whatever. It was just the ring and the fighters on it."

Gohan couldn't help but grin when hearing this. Yes! There was another person in the world who believed Ki-users were not tricksters after all! Videl noticed Gohan's happy expression and raised an eyebrow. What had gotten him so happy?

"Well, anyways, back to the 21st Tournament, the eight participants were…" Mr. Historia grabbed a paper and started reading the names, "…Bacterium, Giran, Ranfan, Nam, Yamcha, Krillin, Jackie Chun and Son Goku."

A student raised his hand.

"Yes?" Mr. Historia gave the word to the student.

"Uh… Mr. Historia… why are there only eight participants?" the student asked curiously. "I mean, aren't there sixteen?"

Gohan blinked. _'Now it's sixteen fighters?'_

Mr. Historia laughed good-naturally. "Only in the 24th World Tournament it's been sixteen. I guess than in this year's Tournament, it'll be sixteen fighters too. But back in the old days, there were only eight spots. I heard you had to literally fight to get one of the spots."

"Woah…"

"Impressive, I know." Mr. Historia grinned. "It's even more impressive than a thirteen years old and a twelve years old managed to beat all those participants."

"What?" a jock gawked.

"Thirteen and twelve?" another repeated.

"They must've been really strong…" a girl commented.

"They were," Mr. Historia agreed. "They were Krillin and Goku. I think they were friends at the time, along with Yamcha. After all, the three of them were students of the Legendary Master Roshi."

_'Legendary?'_ Gohan couldn't help but blink at that. _'I knew Master Roshi was famous, but a legend? Come on!'_

"I don't know if they are still friends now though…" Mr. Historia trailed off.

"They are," Gohan supplied, surprising everyone. "They're still best friends after all this time."

"How… how do you know?" Sharpner inquired.

"I just do," Gohan shrugged.

_'So this confirms that the guy we met at the mall was indeed the Krillin that participated in the World Martial Arts Tournaments,'_ Videl mused quietly.

Mr. Historia blinked in surprise. He had not expected a student of his even _know_ about Son Goku, Krillin and Yamcha. They used to be really famous back on the days, but now, with Mr. Satan being the World Champ, everyone forgot about them. Not to mention no-one has heard about any of them for years now. So how did Gohan know they were still friends? Mr. Historia shook his head. He could always ask later. Right now he had to continue his class. "Well, anyways, the 21st World Tournament was won by Jackie Chun. Son Goku, the twelve years old kid, was about to win, but in the end, he lost.

"And then came the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament three years later. It's funny, 'cause in the past, the Tournaments were held every five years. But after seeing such awesome battles and fighters, it ended up being held every three years." Mr. Historia smiled. "This Tournament was held very shortly before the Great Demon King Piccolo appeared. You've already studied about the wars so you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, back to the Tournament, this time there was a whole fight between schools. It was the Turtle School of Master Roshi versus the Crane School of Master Shen."

_'Dad and the others did tell me they had been fighting over which school was better at that Tournament,'_ Gohan remembered. _'Crane won the Tournament, but it was Turtle who won the whole thing if you think about it. Tien and Chiaotzu did change sides after the Tournament, after all.'_

"The participants were: Man Wolf and Pamput, who were both neither with Crane nor Turtle School. For the Turtle School, there was Goku, Yamcha and Krillin. I think Jackie Chun—the former champ—was for the Turtle School too, despite him not being a student of it. For the Crane School, it was Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu—two newcomers. The Tournament was won by Tien Shinhan, and the runner-up was once again Son Goku. They were all fierce enemies at the beginning, but apparently, they all became friends. I'm not sure if Tien and Chiaotzu quitted the Crane School or not."

"They did," Gohan confirmed, surprising everyone once again with his knowledge. "Tien and Chiaotzu realized following the Crane School was the wrong path for them and changed sides."

"Gohan… you're scarin' me with all that knowledge…" Sharpner said. Videl narrowed her eyes. Gohan had never talked of this. He actually seemed to hide it. Why was he talking now, when everyone was listening to him? It was like he forgot everyone else was there!

Gohan didn't reply to Sharpner's comment. In all honestly, he didn't know why he was supplying Mr. Historia with all that information. It could be suspicious—especially to that certain raven haired girl—and it could also risk him to get his secrets revealed. If someone found out about him, he, his family and his friends, would never be able to be in peace. Never! Not even a single day! Then why was he talking? Maybe it was because he wanted… he wanted that his father and his friends got the respect they deserved! _Especially_ his father. His father had saved the world so many times, and no-one but the Z-Fighters and some _very few_ others who knew the truth had ever thanked him. Not even once! It was unfair.

"Well…" Mr. Historia cleared his throat. He was once again amazed at Gohan's knowledge, and wondered why the boy even knew all that to begin with. He felt more and more tempted to ask him why he knew all that, but stopped himself. He had a class to teach. "To sum up, this Tournament marked the little 'war' between the Crane and the Turtle Schools, and it also marked the last time the ex-Champion, Jackie Chun, was ever seen. Three years later, at Age 756 came the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. Believe it or not, this Tournament decided the fate of the world. I _was_ there, after all. I remember perfectly."

"Was it like the Cell Games?" Videl asked.

"No," Mr. Historia replied. "The Cell Games were practically _made_ to decide the fate of the Earth. Everyone knew that if there was no winner, we were doomed. In this Tournament, however, no-one but the people involved in the fight knew that the world's fate was going to be decided that day. My father and I believed it was just another Tournament, but that wasn't it.

"I heard there was much less participants in the Tournament than in the previous years. The finalists were both, returning fighters as well as new ones. The returning fighters were Goku, Krillin, Yamcha and Tien. The new fighters were Mercenary Tao, Hero, Anonymous and Ma Junior."

_'Mercenary Tao, Kami, Mom, Piccolo,'_ Gohan guessed.

"I remember how crazy this Tournament was. I never realized how serious the thing was. Ever since the beginning it had been a serious thing, yet we never realized it. You see, ever since the beginning there were weird things going on. A cyborg mercenary wanting to kill Tien Shinhan, and a goofy nerdy man who acted stupidly but was, in the end, quite the warrior. But was worse of all was that Ma Junior was no ordinary fighter. He was… King Piccolo's son."

There was a gasp in the whole class.

"I don't know when he had been born, but… Ma Junior for some reason came to the Tournament. He went through all the way of the preliminaries, to beat Krillin and Hero and get to the finals. He faced Son Goku there. I was never able to see the whole fight though."

"Why?" a student inquired.

"Because I ran away," Mr. Historia admitted. "The moment Ma Junior shouted he was King Piccolo's reincarnation… King Piccolo's son… I ran away. We all ran away. I don't think anyone but Goku's friends and the World Tournament Announcer stayed there. We were all so scared… To know he was King Piccolo's reincarnation all that time… it was a terrifying thought…

"It was then when my father told me. The day after the Tournament. He told me Son Goku had beaten Ma Junior and had become champion. I was happy. I felt like the world was safe once again." Mr. Historia smiled a little, remembering his young, teenage self when he was told Son Goku had defeated Daimaō Piccolo's son. "I'm not sure what happened to Ma Junior, or Son Goku, or any of them for that matter." Mr. Historia was kind of sad thought to this. He wanted to know what happened to Son Goku and the others.

"Do you think Ma Junior is somewhere planning his revenge?" a fearful student asked.

Gohan almost laughed, but stopped himself from doing so. "He won't," he said confidently. "Piccolo wasn't as evil as his father. It wasn't too long after the Tournament when he and Da—I mean, Goku, became allies. They're actually close friends now!" It was true. After hearing about Frieza and his power, Piccolo became some kind of ally to the Z-Fighters. He helped them fight evil that threaded Earth, not because of the safety of Earth but due to his own personal gain. He didn't want anyone to interfere in his plans. Of course, that didn't change until he offered to train Gohan. When Gohan became his friend, Piccolo finally found out what it felt to be loved by someone and had a change of heart. Honestly, Piccolo was like Gohan's Big Green Uncle!

"Gohan… you're really freaking me out with your knowledge," Sharpner stated.

"How do you know all that?" Erasa asked.

"I just do, okay?" Gohan replied. _'I'm not sure if it's a good idea to tell everyone I know these people. Not that I'm ashamed of it or anything, but they just won't leave me alone if they find out.'_

"You act as you know these people," Pen pointed out.

A jock crossed his arms. "You know what; I don't think these people are even real." Everyone turned to him. Gohan glared at the jock.

"What do you mean?" a girl asked.

"Well, if what Gohan says is true, and this Ma Junior and Son Goku really are friends, then don't you think it was all acted?" the jock continued. "Something like the Cell Games. Maybe this Ma Junior was something like Cell, just a trickster trying to fool the whole world. Those Mysterious Fighters were also tricksters, right?" Gohan's glare at the jock intensified, but he took no notice of it. Gohan was really trying hard not to yell at the guy for saying that. "After all, isn't Son Goku a trickster as well?"

That did it.

"He isn't a trickster!" Gohan roared, scaring everyone. "He's one of the best fighters ever and I'm sure someone like you wouldn't stand a _chance_ against him! None of these guys are tricksters! None of them! Just because they can do things _you_ can't do doesn't mean they use tricks!"

"Maybe against him, but not against Mr. Satan! After all, not even Cell could beat him with his tricks. Why would they?" a jock wondered.

"They are _not_ tricksters! And I'm sure they'd be a descent challenge for Mr. Satan!" _'They'd totally be able to get Satan's ass handed to him.'_ "I already told you. Just 'cause they can do things you can't do, it doesn't mean they're tricksters! Didn't you hear Mr. Historia? There were no mirrors or ropes or whatever at the ring! That proves they _did not use tricks_!"

"So? Maybe Mr. Historia never even realized? They're supposed to look real. Maybe they were so well made that the audience didn't notice," a nerdy student pointed out.

"I still think Son Goku is a trickster and a coward," the same jock as before stated.

Gohan felt like killing the jock at that very moment. No-one, _no-one_ talked about his father that way! "He isn't a coward!" Gohan yelled. "And he isn't a trickster either! He faced Piccolo and defeated him! He wouldn't have done that if he was a coward. I'd like to see _you_ in that situation!"

"Gohan, calm down!" Mr. Historia commanded. He himself didn't like someone talking about Son Goku like that, but Gohan reacted way too aggressively. Mr. Historia didn't even know why! Did Gohan have something to do with the former Champ?

Videl knew Gohan had a point. Yet she was surprised by how Gohan was acting. Gohan was nice and sweet, and he had never acted aggressively before. Videl knew Gohan was friends with the ex-Tournament participants—or at least, one of them—so she could understand if he was upset if they insulted them. But still, she never had expected him to act so aggressively, especially considering it was the truth. They were all tricksters… right?

"Why do you defend Son Goku and the others so much?" Sharpner asked in curiosity.

"Wait a minute…" Pen began. "Gohan, your surname is Son, right?" Gohan nodded. "And… isn't the former Champ's surname Son as well?"

Videl thought about it. It was true! Gohan had the same surname as Son Goku! Not to mention the same name _and_ surname than the famous martial artist Son Gohan! Then… that meant… It couldn't be…

Pen immediately managed to put two-and-two together. "Are… are you Son Goku's… son?"

The class was silent. All the students and even Mr. Historia were waiting for Gohan's answer. Videl was staring at Gohan, as if trying to urge him to tell the truth. Gohan didn't even take notice of Videl's stare. He wondered… should he lie? Don't get him wrong. He was proud of being Son Goku's son. Yet, that meant no-one of his classmates would leave him alone. They all believed his father was a trickster. They wouldn't let him hear the end of it. But then again… why would he care? He and the others had never cared about what people said about them. Why should he now? Like it was his fault he had such an awesome, strong and powerful father!

"Yeah, that's right," Gohan replied proudly. "I am Son Goku's son—Son Gohan!"


	11. True Bravery

Mr. Historia could not believe it. In his class… in his own class… One of his students… one of them was… Son Goku's… Son Goku's son! Incredible! All this time he had been teaching to his own idol's son! It was amazing! No wonder why Gohan knew so much about the Tournaments! Mr. Historia was amazed.

He had always liked Gohan, ever since he met the young teenager. He was a very good student and he was always nice to him. He always paid attention on his class. But Mr. Historia always noticed something was familiar about the boy. The hair… the face… the eyes. He had the eyes of someone. Yet, Mr. Historia was never able to put his finger on it. Now he knew. Gohan had the same eyes as Goku!

Videl was surprised. But, honestly, she should've seen it coming. Now it all made sense! Son Gohan was Son Goku's son, who was named after the great martial artist Son Gohan. And probably, Son Goku was related to the old Son Gohan, and to honor him he named his own son after him. It really made so much sense! She was surprised she didn't realize it last night when she was searching for information. It explained why Gohan knew so much about the former Tournament participants, why he had the surname Son, why he knew how to fight. Gohan had told her the other day his father had thought him. That meant Son Goku was the one who taught him how to fight! Incredible! No wonder he could defeat those two thugs so easily! Even though Goku used those tricks, he at least needed to have speed, strength and agility as well. There was no way he won the Tournament _and_ defeated Piccolo by just using tricks.

Thought this new knowledge raised new suspicions. Much more suspicions. What about the Golden Fighter? She still remembered he and Gohan had similar fighting stances. Did Son Goku train the Golden Fighter as well? What about the Golden Warriors of the Cell Games? And the Mysterious Boy that defeated King Piccolo? If Son Goku defeated Piccolo at the World Tournament, then was he the one who killed King Piccolo?

She glanced at Gohan, who seemed nonchalant about all the whispers, mutters, murmurs that could be heard on the class. He didn't seem to care everyone's eyes were on him. Videl was starting to realize Gohan did not like being the center of attention. But she guessed he couldn't help it, which such a backstory. Maybe he'd answer a thing or two later. After all, he _did_ admit he was Goku's son in front of the whole class. One thing was certain though… Son Gohan was definitely an enigma.

Gohan glanced around his class. Everyone was staring at him. Even his friends were staring at him. Erasa, Sharpner, Pen, _Videl_ … they were all staring at him. It was like if they saw him with a new light after finding out he was Goku's son. Let's see what they thought of him now that they knew… _something_ about him.

"You're… you're Goku's… son?" a student stammered, not believing.

"I just said that, didn't I?" Gohan replied calmly.

Before anyone could talk, the bell rang. It was lunchtime, and everyone was hungry. So, they all went out, talking and muttering about Gohan being the former Champ's son.

"You're coming with us?" Erasa asked. The blonde was surprised about the information, but unlike many others she was not going to misjudge Gohan due to it. After all, Rubbe Erasa was a friendly, boy-loving, out-going girl who was always there for her friends. Besides, she now had not one but two friends that were children of a WMAT Champion! Crazy!

Gohan smiled. He was not sure if the three of them were still willing to be his friends, yet he was hoping they would. He didn't want to lose the friendship he had formed with Erasa, Sharpner and Videl. "Sure."

"Wait, Gohan," Mr. Historia called. "I want to talk to you for a little, if you don't mind."

Gohan paled a little. _'Here we go. Now Mr. Historia's gonna scold me for yelling in his class or something…'_

Erasa, Sharpner and Videl shot Gohan some pitying glances. "We'll be waiting for you in our spot," Erasa spoke and the three of them walked out of the class.

Gohan smiled nervously at his teacher. "So… um, Mr. Historia… what's what you wanna talk me about?"

Mr. Historia smiled, seemingly taking notice of Gohan's nervousness. "Ah, it's nothing bad, son. Just curiosity."

"Curiosity?"

"That's right," Mr. Historia nodded. "So, Gohan, are you really Goku's son?"

Gohan nodded. "Yes, sir."

Mr. Historia smiled and laughed. "I don't believe it!" he snickered. "One of my greatest idol's son… has been my student all this time, and I had no idea!"

Gohan couldn't help but smile a little. "Idol?"

"Why, yes!" Mr. Historia chuckled. "I saw all his fights, and he was the one who defeated Piccolo Junior! How can I not be a fan of him?" Gohan smiled. Finally! Finally there was _someone_ who appreciated their efforts, and knew how awesome and strong his father was! Mr. Historia smiled as well. "But, tell me something, how is your father doing? I never heard of him after the World Tournament. I knew he had a fiancée, but I had no idea he had a child."

"Three children," Gohan corrected with a grin. "I've got a little sister and brother."

Mr. Historia blinked. "You've got to be kidding…" he muttered with a small grin. "I don't believe it! Say, son, how is your father doing? And Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu? How are they?"

"Well," Gohan began. "Dad's fine. Still married to Mom, had me, my sister an' my brother and well, we're all doing great. Krillin's good also. He's married and with a daughter. Same goes for Yamcha. Tien's also in a relationship but he's got no kids. Chiaotzu lives with Tien, and they're still like brothers. They're all doing fine. We usually see each other once in a month at the very least."

Mr. Historia smiled. "Really? That's nice, indeed. You guys are all close friends; am I correct?"

Gohan nodded. "Yup. Of course, we've got more friends than that, but it'd be kind of long to name all of them."

Mr. Historia laughed. "I can imagine." Mr. Historia frowned. "But, do tell me, why did your father and the others didn't go to the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament?"

"We were kinda busy at the time," Gohan replied. _'With the Androids coming and all… We didn't even know there was going to be a Tournament until it was a little too late.'_ "But, Mr. Historia, why weren't more World Tournaments after the 24th? I mean, I'm sure Dad and the others could've come back if there was another one."

Mr. Historia shrugged. "I don't know. I think it was because nobody was willing to even try because we all knew Mister Satan was going to be the winner." He rolled his eyes. "Say, Gohan, do you believe in Mr. Satan's strength?"

"Eh…" _'What do I say?'_ "I think he exaggerates with his strength. Sure, he's strong…" _'Yeah, right.'_ "…but I don't think he's the strongest. I bet there's a lot more people stronger than him." _'Like us, for starters.'_ "He may be the World Champ, but that does not mean he's stronger than everyone."

Mr. Historia nodded. "I agree." He smiled. "I'm betting your dad and his friends would be able to beat him."

Gohan grinned and nodded. "Yeah, probably." _'They'd definitely be able to defeat him.'_

Mr. Historia smiled once again. "All right, maybe you should go. I'm taking away your lunch time and you must be hungry."

_'That's an understatement.'_

"Anyways, thanks for telling me this. If you don't mind, say hi to your father for me, okay?"

Gohan chuckled. "Sure, no problem!" He waved. "Bye, Mr. Historia!" The demi-Saiyan walked off in search of his friends.

Mr. Historia smiled. "You know what; Gohan's now my favorite student. Responsible, smart, and he's one of my idols' son. What else can I ask?" he chuckled.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Gohan greeted as he walked towards Videl, Erasa and Sharpner. The three of them were sitting on their 'spot'—their spot being under a huge tree in the corner of the school's fields.

"Hey, Gohan," Sharpner greeted as the demi-Saiyan sat beside them and got out from his capsule his huge lunch. Sharpner, Erasa and Videl were not that surprised of the food Gohan ate. Now they just wondered; where did it all go?

"Gohan," Videl called at the son of Goku who was right now stuffing his face. "Don't you have something to tell us?"

Gohan blinked as he stopped eating for a little. "I have?"

"He has?" Sharpner and Erasa asked in unison.

Videl nodded. "Yeah, like HOW COME YOU DIDN'T TELL US YOU WERE THE FORMER CHAMP'S SON?"

"Uh… I didn't think it was so important," Gohan explained quickly and went back to eating.

"You didn't think it was so important?" Sharpner repeated. "Dude, what do you have on that mind of yours? Do you even go out of those mountains you live in? Son Goku is practically a legend!"

"A legend?" Gohan chorused. "You're kiddin', right?"

"Of course I'm not!" Sharpner replied. "Seriously, Gohan, do you even know your own dad?"

"Well, gee, guys, give me a break!" Gohan shrugged. "For me my dad is… well, my dad! I know he won the World Tournament and defeated Piccolo, but hell, he's still my dad!" He glanced at Videl. "I guess you can understand where I'm coming from, right? You're Mr. Satan's daughter… for you, Mr. Satan is only the hero who defeated Cell or is he your dad?"

"My dad," Videl replied. She thought for a moment. "Okay, point taken." _'He's right. For me Dad is my dad. It must've been the same with him. He must've thought his father was just someone like everyone else. My dad may have defeated Cell but he's still a person… a person with a huge ego—but that's beside the point. I think I'll let it go this time.'_ "Still, I can't believe you're the former Champ's son. No wonder you're good at fighting."

"Wait, you're a fighter?" Sharpner asked. Then he thought about it for a second. "Okay, stupid question—of course you're a fighter. With a World Champ as your dad, you've got to at least know some moves." He grinned. "Maybe we spar someday, ey?"

Gohan smiled. _'He doesn't stand a chance against me, but he doesn't need to know that. Besides, it could help me with holding back my strength. It's a good training.'_ "Sure, why not? I'd be happy to!"

"As if you knew how to fight."

Gohan, Erasa, Videl and Sharpner turned their heads to see the jock who had insulted Goku at Mr. Historia's class along four of his friends. Gohan frowned. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, offended. "I've been fighting my whole life!"

"Yeah, right. Sure. More than fighting, I bet you were doing tricks," the jock replied. "After all, you're the son of a trickster."

"What? I don't use tricks!" Gohan defended himself and stood up. "And my dad is not a trickster!"

"Explain how he could do all that stuff like shooting those light beams from his hands then," the jock challenged.

Videl glanced at Gohan, pretty curious of what he would answer.

"By hard training," Gohan replied. "If you trained—and _believed_ —I'm pretty sure you'd be able to do all that too."

The jock and his friends burst out laughing. "Hah! Yeah, right! I sure would be able to do tricks by hard training!" They laughed some more. "Face it, Gohan, your dad is a trickster and a coward."

Gohan laughed humorlessly. "Huh. Well, I can say the same to you. As I said on class, I'd like to see you facing a demon that's after your life instead of running away like a coward."

The jock scoffed. "And as if you would not get scared. I bet _you_ 'd be the one running away as a coward."

"I'd get scared, sure," Gohan admitted. "The difference is I wouldn't run away. As Dad once told me, true bravery is not doing something dangerous and being fearless, but being absolutely terrified and doing it anyways."

_There was just one week left before going to Namek. Gohan was nervous. Very nervous, even though the five-year-old wanted to act as if he was fearless. He was half-Saiyan, he was trained by Piccolo Junior, and most importantly, he was Son Goku's son! He couldn't act like a coward. Even if the tyrant they were probably going to face was someone as scary and evil as Frieza…_

_Gohan bit his lip. He couldn't sleep. He was nervous—really nervous. A year ago, his uncle Raditz appeared, looking for his father. Apparently, the Saiyans had managed to survive the attack to Planet Vegeta, yet Frieza didn't know. He believed the only three Saiyans alive were Prince Vegeta, Commander Nappa and Raditz. They had trained a lot and were ready to rebel against the evil tyrant. Raditz was pretty surprised to see his brother had gained comrades, a mate and a child—not to mention Chi-Chi was awaiting another child. Then again, his uncle had always been nice to him ever since they met._

_Kami-sama, the Guardian of Earth, decided to take his father to train under the great North Kaiō-sama—the Lord of the Worlds—better known as, simply, King Kai. Goku had been pretty reluctant to leave his family behind—considering he was pretty protective of both of them—but Kami managed to convince him, telling him it was for the better. The trip to King Kai's was not a small one. Goku had to literally go to Other World to train. It hurt; Gohan knew it hurt the three of them. Yet it had to be done._

_His father had promised he'd come back in time to see the birth of his second child—and he did. But in the meantime his father was away, Gohan didn't want to stay doing nothing. Piccolo had offered to train him, and after his father's allowance (thought it seemed he talked_ really _seriously with Piccolo about something first) and also his mother's (with the condition she'd get to see Gohan once in a week at least) he was allowed to train with him. Piccolo was not exactly happy with the conditions but he couldn't do anything about it—after all, Son was still stronger than him._

_Training with Piccolo wasn't that bad. He knew some basics from his father. He got to see his mother every week. He even got to talk to his father who was in Other World! Yet, despite this, any other four-year-old child would be terrified. Him though? A little, yes—but not as much as he should've been. Maybe it was because he was a half-Saiyan? He thought Piccolo the meaning of having a friend, and it even seemed Piccolo saw him as his friend! Besides, when his father finally got back from training and joined him and Piccolo training was even more fun. It seemed Piccolo and his father were friends now! Not just allies—friends!_

_Not to mention that shortly after his father had come back, his little sister, Son Chimaki, was born. Gohan was really happy to have a sister, and he promised himself that he would always protect her and that he'd be the best big brother ever!_

_But despite that, he was still nervous. He had never seen Frieza but he had heard of him. An evil tyrant with no mercy who enjoyed killing people… making them suffer. He was the definition of evil. And that bad guy overheard about the Dragons Balls and he's going to Namek to get them! So they had to go get them before him. He overheard the other Saiyans—even his grandparents!—were going to take out Frieza's forces who were off planet while Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz and the Z-Fighters were going to go to Namek and get the Dragon Balls. They were like the elite team. And he was a part of that team._

_Gohan hugged his own tail in comfort. His father had helped him train it so now it didn't hurt him to get it grabbed. The young half-breed wondered, what would happen? Would they survive? And succeed? Frieza wasn't going to win, right? They'd win, and nobody was going to die, right? Even though they did have the Dragon Balls in case someone perished, Gohan guessed the death of a friend still hurt. He didn't want to go through that. What if Piccolo died? Or his dad? He didn't want that!_

_Gohan got out of his bed and made his way towards his parents' room. It was past-midnight so they were probably sleeping. He was about to open the door when he stopped. 'Hold it right there, Gohan. You're supposed to go to Namek to get the Dragon Balls. You can't just go to your parents and cry like a spoiled brat! Dad was five when he was sent to Earth and he didn't go around whimpering 'cause he believed his whole race was gone. Get a grip of yourself!'_

_And so, the five years old forced himself to go back to his room. While he walked, he glanced to his sister's room. He opened the door and saw his baby sister sleeping contently on her crib. Gohan smiled a little. The sight of his baby sister was comforting. "I wish I could be as careless as you right now, Chimaki."_

_Little did he know, his father was awake and had sensed him going to their room and then go to Chimaki's. Goku frowned. Weird. The Saiyan forced himself out of bed, careful not to disturb his wife, and went to his daughter's room. He opened the door. "Gohan?" he called softly._

_Gohan got startled by his father's appearance. He was way too distracted to sense his Ki. 'Good job, Gohan,' he scolded himself. 'Remember what Piccolo said—imagine what would happen if you get distracted in the middle of the battlefield!' "Hey, Dad."_

_Goku stood beside his son. "What's up, kiddo? You're usually sleepin' by this time, not watching your sister sleep. Is somethin' the matter?"_

_"I…" Gohan hesitated. What would his father think of him? What if he disappointed him? Gohan didn't want that! "Nothing. I'm fine, Daddy."_

_Goku raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" he questioned softly. "You don't seem fine, son."_

_"I… I'm just thinking, that's all," Gohan replied, twiddling his thumbs._

_"About what?" Goku inquired._

_"About, um… things," Gohan answered uncertainly._

_Goku, though, knew better. "You're thinkin' about facin' Frieza, ain't you?"_

_"How d'you know?" Gohan blinked, looking up to his father in awe._

_Goku let out a small chuckle. "Well, gee, kiddo. Everyone's thinkin' about that right now. Don't ya dare think you're the only one worryin', 'cause you ain't. In a week we're gonna go to a planet where we'll probably end up facin' one of the universe's greatest an' most feared tyrants."_

_"Yeah, but still… I'm so scared… I'm… I'm actin' like just some child!" Gohan was disappointed in himself. "I'm a half-Saiyan, I've been trained by you and Piccolo, and I'm one of the Z-Fighters. I'm not s'pposed to be scared!" Despite his best efforts, Gohan had already begun to cry. "I can't help you guys in this mission if I'm acting like this. You guys must be disappointed in me."_

_Goku was pretty surprised to hear his son talking like that. He rubbed the child's head. "Gohan," he began. "You're bein' too hard on yourself. You're disappointed 'cause you're actin' like a child—but you_ are _a child!"_

_"I got Saiyan blood in me, right?" Gohan asked quietly. "Saiyan kids are more mature than human kids, right? Shouldn't it be the same with me?"_

_"You are pretty mature for your age in human's terms, Gohan," Goku replied. "Hell, I'm sure you're even_ more _mature than a Saiyan kid would!"_

_"Y-You really think so?" At his father's nod, Gohan frowned in confusion. "Then why you're so fine with me acting like this? Shouldn't I be… I dunno… less nervous of going to Namek?"_

_Goku shook his head. "No. Everyone's nervous. Hell, I'd say there are people even more scared and nervous than you are. You're only five, Gohan. And the truth is, you shouldn't be facin' universal tyrants. No kid should. You should be… I dunno… playin', learnin', but not this."_

_"But I_ want _to go!" Gohan exclaimed. "I don't wanna stay here doin' nothing while you guys risk your lives! I don't care if I'm a kid, I'm going!"_

_Goku grinned with pride at his son. "You're brave, Gohan. Even if you think you're not. We're gonna face Frieza in some few days. You can't exactly be fearless of that. Hell, even I'm scared."_

_Gohan blinked. "You are?"_

_"Of course." Goku smiled a little. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up or run away. Say, you wanna know somethin' my Grandpa Gohan told me long ago?"_

_Gohan nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"_

_"Shortly after I arrived on Earth, my ol' Grandpa told me: true bravery is not doing something dangerous and being fearless, but being absolutely terrified and doing it anyways."_

_"True bravery is not doing something dangerous and being fearless, but being absolutely terrified and doing it anyways?" Gohan repeated._

_Goku nodded. "Exactly. It takes much more bravery to do something dangerous while you're scared instead of doing it while being fearless." He wiped Gohan's tears with his thumb and smiled at him. "You're brave, Gohan. More than you think you are. Gohan, what're you fighting for?"_

_Gohan blinked. Why was his father asking him that? He thought of it. What was he fighting for? "For my family and friends… all the Saiyans… and all victims of Frieza!" Gohan replied strongly._

_Goku smiled. "If you're scared, think about what you're fightin' for and go for it. If you do so, you'll be the bravest person in the world. Never forget that."_

_Gohan nodded and hugged his father. The young boy glanced at his sister's crib and smiled a little. "I will."_

Ever since then, Gohan had always lived by that phrase. Whenever he was scared in a battle, he thought about his family, friends and the world in general, and then went for it, just like his father had told him to do all those years ago.

Videl was surprised to hear such strong words coming out from Gohan's mouth. Now that she thought of it, there was never a situation where she was scared—as in, completely terrified. Sure, she faced criminals on a daily basis, but she wasn't scared. She knew she was stronger than all of them anyways. But Gohan… the words he said just made her wonder when and why his father had said such words—words she could actually agree with.

The jock laughed. "Ha! He said that? Hmph. I bet he did in order to cover up his cowardice! Just like you are doing right now!"

"Hey!" Sharpner stood up. "If you're gonna come here to bother Gohan, then get the hell out of here! You know nothin' about him or his dad!"

"Yeah!" Erasa stood up as well. "Gohan's our friend so don't you say bad things about him!"

"I can say whatever I want to!" the jock replied. The jock and his four friends (let's call 'em… friend 1, friend 2, friend 3 and friend 4, 'cause I'm way too lazy to think of names for them) laughed and glanced at each other with smirks on their faces. "Well then, what 'bout this? Fight one of us to show if you really know at _least_ the basics of martial arts."

"You fight?" Gohan inquired with a blink.

"Yes, we all do," the jock replied. "Why wouldn't I? Oh, whatever. You up to the challenge, Gohan?"

"Well—"

"What's up? You scared?" friend 1 asked, interrupting Gohan's answer.

"No, I—"

"You shouldn't feel bad if you're scared," friend 2 spoke. "After all, you're a coward's son."

"Dad isn't—"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know how to fight," friend 3 continued.

"I—"

"I bet you don't even know how to throw a punch," friend 4 said with a smirk.

"But—"

"So you'll fight or not?" the jock asked. "Or are you way too scared?" he continued in a baby-like tone. "You're pathetic!"

Videl had already stood up and was ready to fight. Even though she had suspicions of Gohan and wanted to know about him and his past, she still considered him as her friend. He was one of the few people who didn't see her as Mr. Satan's daughter, but saw her as who she was—Satan Videl. _'Gohan may be able to take care of them. But I'll be here just in case…'_

By now, almost all the school was watching the scene with curious eyes. They were already betting on who would win and what would happen.

The jock didn't seem to notice this as he continued his speech of superiority to Gohan. "After all, you'd probably never—"

"SHUT UP!" Gohan yelled. "I'm not a coward!"

"Then how come you didn't answer right away?" friend 2 asked.

"I was _trying_ to but every time I began talking someone of you just _had_ to interrupt me!" Gohan explained. "You didn't even let me answer!"

"Oh… sorry," friend 1 said somewhat sheepishly.

"Whatever." Gohan rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I'll fight not one but all of you."

"What?" friend 4 laughed.

"You think you can take _all_ of us?" friend 3 questioned. "What a joke!"

"Are you sure 'bout that?" the leader jock asked. "We don't wanna hurt you."

"Yes, I'm sure! Totally!" Gohan snapped.

"We're right here if you need help, bro," Sharpner spoke.

Gohan smiled. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

"You won't be after this fight!" friend 3 yelled and launched at Gohan. Gohan sighed and dodged him. Friends 1 and 4 attacked the demi-Saiyan as well, though he easily dodged them once again. The jock and friend 2 launched themselves to Gohan but they were all dodged. They attacked Gohan together, only to be easily defeated. Gohan as quickly—and as careful—as he could hit all of them. Punch to friend 1, kick to friends 3 and 4, elbow to friend 2, knee in the gut to the jock. It wasn't even ten seconds that they all lay beaten on the floor much to the surprise of everyone but Videl.

"D-Dude… how…" a student stammered.

"He's really the son of a World Champ, no kiddin'," another one commented.

Gohan glanced at the people of his school. "For those who think my father is no fighter, then think again 'cause it was him who thought me all of those moves," he spoke calmly.

"Wow, Gohan! You sounded so cool!" Erasa clapped with a grin.

"Heh heh, thank you!" Gohan grinned sheepishly.

"You had it comin', man," Sharpner commented to the jock and his friends who were starting to get up.

"Yeah I guess," the jock muttered through clenched teeth. He turned to his friends. "Remind me never underestimate the son of a World Champ ever again… trickster or not." His four friends nodded painfully, fully agreeing with him. The jock turned to Gohan. "You won, man," he said. "I guess I was wrong about your dad and yourself not being a fighter." After a moment he muttered; "Sorry."

"S'okay," Gohan replied somewhat nonchalantly. "Everyone makes mistakes, I guess."

Videl glared at all the students who were muttering and whispering to each other about what happened. She turned to Gohan, Erasa and Sharpner. _'These guys are so annoying… We should evade these annoying guys for now. And maybe I might even get Gohan tell me more about his father and family when we do so! Not to mention a teacher may come and… we gotta get the hell out of here.'_ "Hey, guys, what about going to another place?"

Gohan, Erasa and Sharpner nodded. "Sure." And then—after getting their lunches who lay forgotten on the floor—the four of them practically ran out of the place in search for a more peaceful place for them to be for what was left of their lunch break.


	12. Friends of School

A orange-haired girl smiled a little to herself as she stared at the flower she had in her hand. She was sitting under the same tree _he_ and his friends were sitting after those jocks came bother him. _He_ being, of course, her now crush—Son Gohan. God, she couldn't believe it! Strong… smart… nice… good looking… son of a World Champion… he was _perfect_!

Angela sighed. She _knew_ she had that habit of hers of falling in love too fast. Her best friend, Kima, quite often pointed that out. But what could she do about it? It was just the way she was! Besides, _who_ could argue against the fact Gohan was hot? No-one! Angela was sure that not even the tomboyish Videl could deny that fact!

He was strong, good looking, and the son of a World Champ! Angela didn't know much about martial arts—she never really cared about it—but she respected their strength. The Hero of Earth, Mister Satan, was a martial artist as well, wasn't he? Besides, a strong boyfriend would be able to protect her, wouldn't he? She blushed at the thought of having Gohan as a boyfriend. _'Would he want me as a girlfriend?'_ she wondered. _'I've never talked to him, except for that one time I tried to ask him if he would want to work with me.'_ She sighed. _'Maybe I can get him go on a date with me somehow… I don't know.'_

"What're you doing here alone like that?" a voice asked her. Angela looked up to see the faces of her two best friends.

The first one was Kima. She was a girl a, a little taller than Angela, with purple hair and eyes. Unlike Angela, Kima was a smart no-nonsense girl. It was surprising they were even friends when they were so different. But that was the way it was. They had another friend too. Her name was Kanteki. She had green hair that fell past her shoulders, with light blue eyes, and was shorter than Angela and Kima. Kanteki was a calm and _very_ optimistic girl, always looking to the bright side. So much it even surprised Angela and Kima themselves!

"Nothing really… just thinking," Angela trailed off.

Kima frowned. "About what?" When Angela didn't answer, she sighed almost exasperatedly. "It's about a boy, isn't it?"

Angela twiddled her thumbs. "Kinda…"

"Who is it this time?" Kanteki asked curiously. While she didn't fall in love as fast as Angela, she too believed in cute boys as well as love at first sight. She didn't mind talking with her friends about hot guys.

Angela stayed quiet a little before replying. "Gohan…"

Kima and Kanteki's eyes widened. "Gohan!"

"Don't say it so loud!" Angela said. Kanteki clasped her hand in her mouth in alarm while Kima closed her mouth quietly.

"Sorry," Kanteki whispered sheepishly.

"So, you like Gohan now, huh?" Kima shook her head with a small smile. "As much as I don't like that habit of yours of falling in love too fast, I must admit I understand where you're coming from." At Kanteki and Angela's shocked expressions, she crossed her arms and half-glared at them. "Hey! I'm a girl too, you know. And I know when guys are cute. The fact I don't fall in love with them by first sight doesn't mean I don't think they're good looking, y'know." She sat next to Angela, Kanteki soon following suit. "I mean, he's pretty handsome, and he's nice, strong, smart, _and_ now we find out he's the son of a World Champ—like Videl!"

"Yeah," Kanteki giggled. "Who would've thought?"

Angela smiled a little. "Yeah." The usual cheery, carefree girl frowned. This worried both Kanteki and Kima, who had known Angela since they were small. Angela never frowned! She talked, laughed, cried, joked, but never frowned. If Angela frowned, it was because something _really_ bothered her.

"Hey, what's up?" Kima asked worriedly.

"Well, uh…" Angela bit her lip. "How do I get him to like me?" she asked. "Do I do what I usually do, and flirt with him from the start? I always do that, and it works, but then something always happen and the relationship ends. Usually it's me falling in love for another guy…" she whispered. "But I… I can't help it! I can't! I really fall in love with them, manage to date them, and then… it all finishes… and I don't know why, b-but I begin starting to have feelings for another a-and I completely forget about my exs…" She buried her face in her hands and started crying. "I'm a disaster!" she whimpered. "I already have a name for falling in love so fast! How will Gohan ever like someone like me?"

"Angela…" Kanteki whispered sadly. "Hey, don't cry! I'm sure Gohan would like you!"

Kima nodded. "That habit of yours of falling in love so fast… it's not your fault. I've noticed… you don't mean to be that way. It's not your fault. Gohan seems to be the understanding type. I'm sure he'd understand if you explain it to him. There must be someone you'll love forever, Angela. You just don't know who yet. Gohan may be it. But then again, maybe he's not…"

"I believe it's worth trying," Kanteki stated. "But don't take it too quick! You usually take things too quickly and that's your downfall. Try to be friends with him. Don't flirt with him right away. He mustn't know you have feelings for him. Not yet."

Kima nodded. "I agree." She smiled at Angela. "It may or may not work out. But whatever it is, you'll at least get something you've never had in your life."

Angela blinked as she dried her tears. "What is it?"

"A male friend," Kima replied. "Not a boyfriend, but someone who you can hang out from the opposite sex. Asides from Kanteki and I, you've got loads of friends who're girls. But what about boys?"

Angela blinked. "I never really thought of it that way…" _'Kima's right. When have I had a friend who's a boy? All the boys I've hanged out with are the ones I wanted to date, but it's never been a friend, as in, friend. But should Gohan be my friend or something more?'_ "So… you think I should make Gohan my friend instead of my boyfriend?"

Both girls nodded. "It'll be good for you!" Kanteki chipped.

"Besides," Kima began, "if you fall for another guy again, you won't have to worry about hurting yourself or him 'cause you're in a relationship. Besides, he's a complete stranger to you. Make friends with him, know more about him, think of him as a friend—not a boyfriend. If you really love him for who he is instead of a silly crush, _then_ start the flirting."

Angela sat there, thinking about it. Was it a good idea? It seemed it was. Maybe she should try. After all, she trusted Kima and Kanteki dearly. "All right. I'll do that." Angela had decided. She was going to make Gohan her friend. If she still had feelings for him after knowing him, she was going to try to have a relationship with him. If not, then they would remain friends. Angela smiled a little. Maybe… maybe having a male friend wouldn't be so bad. She stood up with a cheerful smile. "But first, let's go get some coffee. I need to get my ten teaspoonfuls of sugar!"

Kima and Kanteki giggled and shook their heads, smiling at each other.

Now that was the girl they knew!

* * *

The news of the fact Gohan defeated the jock and his friends had practically travelled the whole school for now. All the students were chatting about it. Their opinions were diverse. Some believed it was completely cool to have another fellow student who was the child of a World Martial Arts Champion at the school. Some believed it was completely dull and other didn't even care. Some believed Son Goku was an awesome fighter, having heard stories from their families and friends who knew—or were—at the Tournaments the Saiyan had participated in. Others—mainly Hercule-fanatics—believed him to be just a dirty trickster.

Pen glanced around him. Everyone was talking about the same—Gohan and his father. Pen liked Gohan, and even though they didn't know each other for even a month, he still saw him as a friend. After all, Gohan was actually interested in some of his knowledge!

"The son of a World Champ, huh?" Pen murmured. "Who would've thought?" Ha glanced around him, not finding neither Gohan, nor Videl or the others. He could understand them wanting to get away from the curious students, but he was still curious. _'I wonder where they are.'_

* * *

"And I still _can't_ believe you're the World Champ's son," Sharpner spoke with a grin.

They had run away all the way to the school's roof. Thankfully for them, there was no-one there, so it was pretty peaceful for the four of them.

"Well, believe it," Gohan replied with a grin of his own. "'Cause I am!"

"It must be so cool to be the son of a World Champ—like Videl!" Erasa grinned.

Videl nodded. She was curious of Gohan's father. How was the former Champion like? Was he an ego-maniac like her father? Was he modest? Was he nice? Was he mean? She was really curious to find out. "Hey, Gohan, how's your dad like?"

"Yeah!" Erasa nodded.

"I'd like to know, too," Sharpner agreed. "It's one of my childhood idols we're talkin' about…" he murmured softly before trailing off.

* * *

"ACHOO!" Goku sneezed. He rubbed his nose with his finger.

Chi-Chi giggled besides him. "Someone's talking about you, Goku?"

Goku shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe someone is. I don't know."

"Well, whoever this 'someone' is, it better not be another woman!" Chi-Chi huffed angrily. After all, the daughter of the Ox-King was aware of how utterly attractive her husband was, and she wasn't really fond of other women talking about him in such a way.

Goku laughed and shook his head. "No way! An' if that's the case, no worries. I don't give a damn for other women other than you."

Chi-Chi smiled and kissed his cheek. "That's better."

* * *

Back at Orange Star High School, Gohan blinked, having heard what Sharpner muttered. He wanted to question him about it, but considering he had said it so lowly, he guessed Sharpner didn't want them to hear. He was going to ask him about it later. "Well, Dad is…" Gohan thought about how to describe his father to his friends without giving away he was not human. His lust for fighting and the aggressiveness he could sometimes act with—especially with those that threatened the people he care for—were no human behavior. Gohan knew his father had no remorse of killing Frieza, for example. Then again, who the hell would have remorse for killing _Frieza_? Gohan tried to order his ideas. He was getting off topic. "My Dad is… he's strong, nice, calm, brave and friendly. Dad is a really loyal friend. Believe me when I say he's like a rock everyone can lean on. Me, my siblings, Mom, the rest of my family and all our friends… we can all count on him for anything.

"He's also fun-loving. He adores fighting and wants to surpass his limits and become stronger. He's an awesome teacher, and my siblings and I have learned a lot from him. He's willing to help everyone he can, and he's got this… this… _aura_ that makes everyone feel confident, even in rough times. Not to mention he somehow always manage to look on the bright side. Guess life taught him that." Gohan smiled, remembering all those times it seemed everything was doomed, yet his father always managed to get hope into them and make them feel confident. "He's an awesome Dad, to me and my siblings. Believe me. While he's not your normal father, he's always been there for us—always. Even when he had to be away, somehow, he was still there." It wasn't a lie. Even when Goku had been away training with King Kai for the Frieza incident all those years ago, he still checked constantly on him and the pregnant Chi-Chi, making sure they were both okay from the distance. "He also got this thing of making enemies into friends… Don't ask me how, but enemies like say, Piccolo, have ended up becoming his friends. I guess its Dad's supportive nature or something."

"Woah…" Sharpner muttered.

"Wow, Gohan! Your Dad sounds so cool!" Erasa exclaimed.

"He does, doesn't he?" Gohan smiled, then frowned a little. "But for all his good things, he still has bad things, just like everyone else. Dad can be pretty careless, to the point of even being nonchalant of some things he simply doesn't care about. For example… um… politics. My Dad doesn't give a crap about politics. He just doesn't care. He must rather spend his time trainin' than hearing politics discussing things like economy." Gohan's eyes grew sadder as he continued talking. "Also, despite he never shows, I know… Dad had it rough—especially when he was a kid. When he was little he was sent away from his family in order to protect him." He didn't go into more details. It wasn't a good idea. They couldn't know his dad was an alien—not yet! "He was taken in and raised by a man named Son Gohan…"

_'Son Gohan!'_ Videl screamed in her mind. _'That must be the old man that was the Turtle Hermit's student! He raised Son Goku! No wonder why Gohan's got the same name!'_

"Son Gohan?" Sharpner questioned.

"That's your name!" Erasa said.

Gohan nodded. "It is. I'm named after him. That man… he raised my Dad until he died when Dad was… ten, I think. He practically raised my Dad into the man he is today, and thought him a lot about life. Dad adored and respected him. So much he went as far as naming me after him."

"But after that man died… what happened to your Dad?" Erasa asked curiously.

Gohan sighed. "He was alone," he replied. "Dad's Grandpa lived where I live now—in Mount Paozu. That is far away from everything. Dad had nowhere to go. No-one to rely on. He was alone… he was really on his own…" Erasa, Sharpner, and Videl's expressions were one of shock. Never did they think the former Champ's life was so hard. "Dad managed to survive in the wilderness on his own. He was twelve when he ever came in contact with another human being ever again."

"Wait…" Videl began. "If your dad was ten when the man who adopted died, and he first came in contact with another human being when he was twelve… then that means…"

"He was alone for two years," Gohan finished.

"Oh, God…" Erasa whispered sadly.

"My Dad is really good hiding his emotions though," Gohan said. "It's really hard to see how he's really feeling. He's that good at hiding his feelings. Everyone—even myself—kind of depend on him, so he's always acts confident in order to give us confidence. That doesn't mean he's actually feeling fine. I think that that thing my Dad has of protecting others is because of what happened to him. He doesn't want anyone to go through what he went through." Gohan managed to smile. "He is very protective of us—you know; his family and friends. Do something to us, and you'll have to face him. Good luck with that," he chuckled a little. "He can also be a little aggressive. Where he came from… people weren't exactly pacifists. Dad can be aggressive when angered or threatened. He's rarely gotten angry with me or my family though…" Gohan grinned a little. "What I can say, is my Dad is an awesome guy—with up and downsides, just like everyone else. He's trustworthy and supportive. I'm sure you'd like him if you ever met him."

Erasa smiled. "I'd like to meet your Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Me too," Sharpner added. _'I'd get to meet the man who was my childhood idol, just before Mr. Satan. It would be so awesome.'_

Videl nodded. "I'd like to meet your Dad as well." _'I never expected him to be what Gohan described him. I never expected him to have such a rough past. I never expected him to be that trustworthy than his entire family and all his friends feel hope just because of him.'_ She wondered if it was really true, but somehow, she knew it was.

Gohan smiled. "Maybe someday, you will."

They chatted some more, until the bell rang, meaning they should go back to class. The four teenagers sighed and went to class. Gohan was walking towards his seat along with his friends when he heard some students whispering.

"Hey, that's the trickster's kid," one whispered to his friend.

"Yeah," the other replied. "Don't let him hear you though. I heard he beat up five dudes by himself."

"I doubt it," the first one said. "He doesn't seem that strong, much less a fighter."

Gohan glared at them briefly but didn't say anything. Instead, he just kept going and sat in his place. He sighed. They were all muttering, whispering. He could hear them all. He had a Saiyan's hearing after all. His hearing wasn't as good as a Namekian's, but it was good enough to hear all of them. Hear all of them talking about him...

" _Can't believe he's the cheater's son..._ "

" _Don't let him hear you! It'll get him pissed!_ "

" _As if he could beat me. I bet he uses tricks like his father_."

" _Maybe he cheated in his entry exams, and that's why he had perfect scores. I wouldn't be surprised_."

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. _'Don't hear 'em...'_ he told himself. _'They know nothing. It's not their fault they're ignorant. They don't know the truth. They just don't.'_ Gohan was really wondering if hiding the truth from the whole world was a good idea. It gave them peace, yes. He was glad for it. He really was. But it changed people's perspective on them. His father, their friends, all of them... They were no longer those fighters everyone admired... that everyone wanted to be. They were now known as tricksters, as cowards.

_'It's not fair. Sure, there are some people who don't think this way... Like Mr. Historia, maybe even Sharpner and who knows who else. But... but most people... most people don't know the truth.'_ He gritted his teeth. _'We've saved them so many times! Always! We never expected anything in return and we still don't. We've all died at least once trying to defend not only this planet but the whole universe! I don't want anything in return. But I think they should at least respect us for it...'_ He frowned. _'I don't mind Mr. Satan stealing our credit but... why, despite having stolen what belonged to us, does he still talks bad about us? He_ knows _the truth! He can't deny it! He could at least say; "Well, I defeated the bad guy._ But _these guys still helped me a lot and they should be respected as well." It the least he could do. But no...'_ Gohan sighed. For the first time of his life, he really, seriously wondered if it was a good idea to stay in the shadows.

Videl glanced at Gohan. _'He seems bothered,'_ she observed. _'I can't blame him. I would get bothered if people talked about Dad that way, even if he was a trickster. But is he really? Mr. Historia did say there were no cable or mirror or whatever in the World Martial Arts Tournaments Son Goku participated in. But then, how did he do all that?'_ She thought about what happened at lunch, with Gohan and that jock.

_"As if you knew how to fight."_

_Gohan, Erasa, Videl and Sharpner turned their heads to see the jock who had insulted Goku at Mr. Historia's class along four of his friends. Gohan frowned. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, offended. "I've been fighting my whole life!"_

_"Yeah, right. Sure. More than fighting, I bet you were doing tricks," the jock replied. "After all, you're the son of a trickster."_

_"What? I don't use tricks!" Gohan defended himself and stood up. "And my Dad is not a trickster!"_

_"Explain how he could do all that stuff like shooting those light beams from his hands then," the jock challenged._

_Videl glanced at Gohan, pretty curious of what he would answer._

_"By hard training," Gohan replied. "If you trained—and believed—I'm pretty sure you'd be able to do all that too."_

Videl frowned in thought. _'Gohan said his father could do all of that stuff by hard training. But how is that possible?'_ she wondered. _'People can't fly, can they? Sure, it'd be awesome, but it's not possible! It just isn't!'_ She stared at Gohan, who was still seemingly lost in thought. _'Just what are you hiding, Gohan?'_

* * *

"So, wanna go for a drink or somethin'?" Sharpner asked. Much to the relief of everyone at school the final bell finally rang and they were all set free. Gohan, Erasa, Sharpner and Videl were standing at the school's entrance.

"I'd love to, but I promised Mom I'd help her cleaning the house today," Erasa sighed. "How boring."

"Yeah, I'd like to as well. But I promised my dad I'd come home early. You know how he gets when I don't do what he says," Videl sighed as well.

"Well, I can go," Gohan said.

"Then I guess it's just the two of us, Gohan," Sharpner said.

The boys waved to Erasa and Videl as they walked to their houses. Gohan and Sharpner walked to a near ice cream shop and helped themselves with an ice cream. They sat in a park and watched the children play on the playground.

"Kinda nostalgic, y'know," Sharpner said. "I usta play here when I was a kid."

"Really?" Gohan asked. "Neat."

"What about you?" Sharpner asked. "Are there any playgrounds where you live?"

"Not really," Gohan admitted. "Though there are loads of plants and animals to play with. There are rivers, mountains…" he trailed off. "But I usta play on a playground on West City when I had the chance."

Sharpner nodded. "Your home sounds like living on the wilderness. I'm sure you guys could be in a How to Survive in the Wild show on TV."

Gohan laughed. "Yeah, probably." He smiled a little. "Though it's not that hard considering I actually live on a house, with electricity, gas and stuff. I'm pretty sure all of my family knows how to survive on our own in the wild, though. Dad taught us all."

"I see," Sharpner said. "It's kinda hard to believe the former Champ went through so much when he was little. I had no idea. I thought he was just a guy who managed to win the Tournament but there's more to it than just that."

Gohan nodded. "There is." He glanced at Sharpner curiously. "Did you know about my Dad before Mr. Historia's class?" _'I know he does. I just wonder what he's gonna say though.'_

Sharpner nodded. "But of course I know!" he said. "He's a World Martial Arts Champion! And I love Martial Arts! How could I not know about him?"

"Oh…" Gohan trailed off, somewhat disappointed. "Fair enough, I guess."

"You know…" Sharpner began. He sighed. He couldn't believe he was going to share this with Gohan. "Your Dad… he… he usta be my idol back when I was kid."

_'So it is true.'_ "Really?" Gohan asked, feigning surprise.

Sharpner nodded. "He was the Strongest Under the Heavens, or at least, that was what he was s'pposed to be. I really admired him back when I was a kid. But no-one knew anything about him. After the Tournament, he seemed to disappear. He, and all of his friends, they just never came back." Sharpner sighed. "When the World Martial Arts Tournament returned, I was overjoyed. I really hoped your dad and everyone else were gonna come back and…"

"They didn't," Gohan finished.

"Yeah," Sharpner nodded. He glanced at Gohan. "How come they didn't come to the World Tournament?"

"They were busy," Gohan replied. It was no lie. They were indeed busy training for the Androids. "We didn't even know there was going to be a Tournament until it was way too late."

Sharpner looked surprised. "How come you didn't know? The whole world knew the World Tournament was coming back."

"We weren't home at the time, I think," Gohan said. _'I'm not that sure. But I think we were at Planet Vegeta at the time. The gravity was higher there, and we also have family and friends there. I can't tell Sharpner that we were off-planet, though.'_ "When we came back, it was kind of too late."

"That explains it." Sharpner nodded understanding. "Well, that Tournament was won by Videl's father. I had always thought the man was strong, so I wasn't surprised when he won the Tournament. I still had a little hope for your dad and the others to appear someday, but they didn't. Then the Cell Games came. I believed Mr. Satan would beat Cell, but I still kind of hoped for Goku and the others to appear." Sharpner chuckled at the memories. "Too bad they didn't. Thankfully Mr. Satan beat Cell into a pulp there was no need for their help. He is the strongest after all. I'm pretty sure the only one who can stand up to him is Videl herself."

Gohan tried not to chuckle. _'Poor Sharpner... It's really not his fault he doesn't know the truth.'_ "Well, I can't really say for sure, but I think my dad would be able to take on Hercule and at least give him a challenge." _'My Dad would totally be able to kill the man with his pinky finger.'_

Sharpner shrugged with a smile. "Maybe."

The two teenagers chatted for a little while longer. Finally, Sharpner decided it was time for him to go home. They had said their goodbyes already. Sharpner had already left. Gohan was looking for somewhere to take off without being noticed. He stopped walking when curiosity got the best of him and went to check a little exposition about exotic animals at another big park.

"Gohan! Hey, Gohan!"

Gohan turned his head to see who it was, and he was pretty surprised when he saw the girl named Angela running towards him.

"Angela?" He didn't know if seeing her was good or bad. Don't get him wrong, he was a friendly guy and all. But his friends had warned him about the girl, right after she had talked to him on Miss Hamilton's class when they were to discuss the article about Capsule Corporation.

_Gohan sighed. Great! Just what he needed! To discuss an article about Capsule Corporation! At the very least he was in a group—even though Videl was in it. He just hoped she wouldn't ask too many question or have so many suspicions this time. "Um… Gohan…" an orange-haired girl began, but suddenly came to a stop._

_Gohan blinked. He had been so in his thoughts he didn't realize when this girl had come there. "Uh… yeah?" he inquired._

_"Um… n-nothing. I just wanted to ask for an eraser 'cause I thought I lost it, but I had it in my pocket the whole time! Man, I'm so klutzy! Sorry about that!" She forced a smile and returned to her seat, muttering something to herself. Gohan blinked in confusion._

_Sharpner blinked three times and then faced Gohan. "Any particular reason she just had to ask for an eraser to you?"_

_Gohan shrugged. "Well, gee, I don't know! I've never even talked to her before. Hell, I don't even know her name!"_

_"Her name's Angela," Videl informed._

_"Angela?"_

_"Yup." Erasa nodded. "Angela's the most boy-loving girl you'll ever meet." At Gohan's skeptical look, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. You must be thinkin' who am I, Erasa, to talk about a girl like that? You see, I know I tend to think most boys are cute and all, but that's all there is to it. Angela, on the other hand, actually falls in love with 'em—as in, in love." She shrugged. "She's got that habit of hers of falling in love at first sight."_

_"Not only that, but I've been told that when she meets someone 'cuter' or 'cooler' than you, she completely forgets she even had feelings for you and falls in love with that other guy," Sharpner added._

_"You're... kiddin'." Gohan had a hard time believing a girl could be like that. He knew about love at first sight, and as crazy it sounded it actually happened. His mother fell in love with his father that way after all. But he had never heard about a girl that fell in love with someone, and the moment she saw someone cuter she fell in love with another. It was just crazy!_

_"No we're not. Though it's true it's just crazy," Videl said, like guessing Gohan's thoughts._

_"I don't think she actually means to be that way," Erasa commented. "That's just the way she is."_

He forced a smile. He didn't want to misjudge, but he didn't want to be another of this girl's temporary crushes. "Hey, Angela."

Angela was kind of nervous, which was strange. She was never nervous, much less when it came about boys. But this time, her purpose of talking to a boy was not flirting. _'Don't flirt. Don't flirt! Try and be his friend!'_ She gave the friendliest smile she could. "Wow, I never thought I'd see you here."

"Well, I was walkin' by and just came out of curiosity, that's all," Gohan replied. _'I can't let her get any ideas. I don't want to hurt her.'_

Angela nodded. "Nice, so was I…" she trailed off. She gulped. "Um… Gohan…" She took a breath. "Mind being friends?" she blurted out.

Gohan stared at her. He had been expecting her asking him to go on a date with her, or to be her boyfriend. But he never—never ever—expected her to ask him to be her friend. _'Maybe… Maybe she isn't as bad as the others told me,'_ the half-breed mused. _'But I better be careful. Even if we're friends, I don't want her to believe we're gonna have a relationship or something. I don't know how I'd take care of that.'_ He smiled. "Sure, why not?"

"Really?!" she asked eagerly.

Gohan sweat-dropped. "Uh… yeah."

Angela smiled excitedly. "That's so cool!" she cheered. "I'm glad we can be friends!" She was grinning madly. She did it! She glanced at her watch. "Oops. I gotta go now. Well, bye!" she waved and ran away, giggling to herself. She did it! Wait until she told Kima and Kanteki about it!

Gohan stared at the direction Angela had ran off. "What was that all about?" he wondered. Then, he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I better just go home now. I mean, how just having her as a friend would hurt anybody?" He shook his head as he started walking. "Nah. She can't be _that_ bad. I bet she can be a really good friend if she wants to be. Besides, it's not like she's in love with me, right?"


	13. Tale of the Tails

Gohan landed gracefully in front of his home. He sighed. What a hell of a day this has been. Everyone knew he was Son Goku's son now. Not that he was ashamed of it. He just didn't know if people would leave him be. He walked to the door. Home, sweet home! Gohan didn't even need to knock the door as his father already opened it for him.

"I sensed ya comin'," Goku said with a grin. "How come you came home so late? You usually come 'ere right after class ends."

"I was hanging out with a friend," Gohan explained, smiling to his father.

"I see." Goku wasn't a fool. His son's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew something was up. He was about to ask Gohan about it but his youngest son beat him to it.

"Gohan!" Little Goten rushed to hug his older brother. "You're finally back!"

Gohan smiled at his brother. "Yep."

"That's nice. I was kinda gettin' worried you'd choose the city over us," Chimaki joked as she entered the room. Gohan rolled his eyes.

Chi-Chi walked into the living room and smiled. "Welcome home, Gohan," she greeted. Then she glanced at her whole family. "You all must be starving. Let's go to eat."

Upset, confused or not, no-one could say 'no' to Chi-Chi's fabulous cooking. It didn't take long for the whole family to go and enjoy their food. After that, they all went together to the living room to enjoy some time together. They all chatted happily; though Goku could still see something was off with Gohan. The Saiyan wasn't sure what was it, but he didn't want to bring the topic up when the whole family was together. It would worry all of them.

Gohan tried to act as cheerful as possible, but he was kind of worried. He didn't know how tomorrow would be. Erasa, Sharpner and Videl didn't seem to mind he was an ex-Champion's son. Well, he wasn't that sure about Videl but that's a whole new story. But what about everyone else? They thought of him as a trickster, as a coward. Would he be able to stand to be around people like that? Half of him wanted to just stay home, be with his family and hang out with his _real_ friends. The other half just told him to face the problem like a man. Damn it!

Chi-Chi glanced to the clock. "Goten, it's time for you to go to bed."

Goten pouted. "But I don't wanna go to bed!"

Chi-Chi shook her head. "Well, sorry, but you have to. It's too late for you to stay up. Besides, we're all going to bed early today. Aren't we?" At the general silence, she scowled. "I said, _aren't we_?!" The three other Sons reacted immediately, none of them wanting to face the Ox-Princess' terrifying wrath.

Chimaki nodded nervously. "Sure, why not? I'm pretty tired."

"I have school tomorrow, so I gotta go to sleep early," Gohan said nervously.

"I don't mind goin' to bed right now. Sparred with Vegeta earlier an' I gotta say I broke up some sweat," Goku agreed, smiling nervously as well.

"Who won?" Chimaki asked, changing topics. Hopefully her mother would forget all about going to bed early.

"Who d'ya think?" Goku questioned.

"Daddy did!" Goten chipped.

Chimaki grinned. "Obviously. Dad is the best!"

Gohan nodded in agreement. _'My dad's awesome, even if the others don't think he is.'_

"All right then, let's go to bed," Chi-Chi said. "C'mon, get going!"

Chimaki hit the palm of her hand with her fist. "Darn!"

And so, the whole family went to prepare for bed. Gohan yawned as he chose his clothes for tomorrow. He usually wasn't able to think straight when just waking up, so it would be better to have it all ready. There was an awfully big chance his alarm clock AKA his little brother would sleep in again. He heard a knock at his door. "Come in!"

Goku entered to his eldest son's room. "Yo."

"Hey, Dad," Gohan greeted. "What you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"I wanted ta ask you somethin'," Goku spoke.

Gohan blinked and looked to his father when hearing the seriousness that held Goku's tone of voice. "What is it?"

"What's goin' on with ya?" Goku questioned. At Gohan's blank stare, he sighed. "C'mon, Gohan. You ain't foolin' me. I know somethin' was on your mind when you came back home. Is it somethin' to do with school?" Gohan stayed quiet. Darn it! He had hoped no-one would notice! At his son's silence, Goku just smiled a little. "If you don't wanna tell me, it's fine. Just know whatever you wanna tell me, I'll listen. 'Kay?"

Gohan nodded, then sighed. It was worth to try. "Hey, Dad…" he began. "Uh… I've been wondering… about… was it a good idea to let Mr. Satan take all the credit?" he blurted.

Goku blinked. His son had never questioned that before. How come he was now?

"I've never questioned it before," Gohan said, as if reading his father's mind. "Never really cared to. But… you see… Today, uh, everyone… everyone found out that you're my father. In History, the teacher taught us about the past Tournaments and the secret just slipped. But… the others… not all of them of course, but most of them, they…"

"Were sayin' bad things about me?" Goku guessed.

Gohan nodded. "They called you—us—a trickster, a coward, and who knows what else. Made me wonder… was it really worth lettin' Mr. Satan take our credit? I don't mind him gettin' worshipped and all, but he could at least say good things about us. He knows the truth. He can't deny it! Why? Isn't letting him take our credit is boasting his ego? And his fan's too. Everyone talks bad about us now. It's just not fair!"

"Gohan," Goku began seriously. "I know where you comin' from. I know sometimes it seems lettin' Hercule take our credit was a terrible idea. But it has a lot of good things too. Imagine our lives if people knew it the truth. Would we have the peaceful lives we have now? I doubt it."

"Yeah, that's true. But still, at least people would know the truth!" Gohan argued.

"They would, and they wouldn't leave us alone for it. Besides, why you care? I mean, they fact they don't know doesn't mean no-one does," Goku replied. "The Saiyans, the Namekians… hell, even the _Gods_ know it was us who defeated Cell an' Buu."

"Yeah, but still…"

"Think of it this way," Goku said. "When we die, we'll go to Heaven, we'll keep our bodies, we'll get awesome things. But, d'you think Mr. Satan will?" he chuckled. "I don't think so."

"True," Gohan chuckled as well. When his father put it that way, it sounded reasonable. Most Earthlings didn't know the truth, yes. _But_ , Saiyans and Namekians did, as well as the Kais and who know how many other people. He had to think that way. _They_ were the ignorant people. _'Still, I'd like them to know someday. Maybe in the future they will.'_ "Thanks, Dad. I still want them to know the truth, but maybe it's better this way. They can always find out in the future anyways." Gohan grinned when remembering something. "And, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"My History teacher, he's your fan."

Goku blinked. "My _fan_?"

Gohan nodded. "He's one of the very few people who don't believe on Mr. Satan and instead believes in Ki. He went to the Tournaments you participated in and you became his idol. He told me so when he found out I was your son."

Goku was pretty surprised. He had known been people that has admired him before, like his children and some of his friends. But he never really expected to have a fan due to the Tournaments he participated in. He could remember he was pretty famous, but he was never a public person and he usually avoided the press. But when Mr. Satan came into the picture, all of his fame was just forgotten. Not that he cared. But, still, it was indeed kind of nice to know there was someone who hadn't forgotten him. "I guess I'll go meet him sometime."

Gohan smiled. "He'll love that, Dad. I'm sure." He could already imagine Mr. Historia's happy face the day he met Son Goku. He would be so happy. "Anyways, thanks for this, Dad. You've really reassured me."

Goku smirked. "Well, that's what fathers are for, right?" He smiled at his eldest. "Well, night, son!"

"Good night, Dad!" Gohan called as his father closed the door. He smiled to himself and continued to look for his clothes.

* * *

Videl stared at her room's ceiling. She was trying to sleep but she couldn't. _'How can someone have a tail?'_ she wondered. _'Humans don't have tails. How come he did? Is it true or just bluff?'_

After saying goodbye to her friends, Videl had rushed to her home and onto her laptop. Quickly, the Junior Division Champion had begun searching information about the former World Champion—Son Goku. She had believed that maybe, maybe some information about him would help her find out more about her classmate. But, turned out it had confused her more than helped her.

There wasn't much information about Son Goku. Unlike her father, it seemed he wasn't the type to care for getting the press' attention or fame. He was more private. Most of the information she could find about him were things she already knew. The few pictures and videos she had found about him were blurry things probably filmed or taken by a fan. She could make out he had black spiky hair—somewhat similar to Gohan's—and a red Gi, not to mention that weird brown thing.

Videl didn't know what that brown thing was and just shrugged it off. Maybe it was the belt or something. But her opinion changed when she read that that brown thing was actually his _tail_.

_No. Fucking. Way._

How could someone have a tail? Sure, she had met lot of people who had tails—mainly cats, dogs and tigers. But they were _cats, dogs_ and _tigers._ Those have tails! But humans don't! There was no way Son Goku had a tail! She had taken a long, hard look to the pictures, telling herself that brown furry thing was not a tail. It couldn't be a tail!

But then again… didn't those guys from the Cell Games have tails? The men with the armor and the two with golden hair had tails didn't they? The Delivery Boy had a tail too! But, was it even real? Those guys used tricks, didn't they? Was the tail a trick as well? But why would they use a tail? And Son Goku too… How could he have a tail? Was it real? Was it fake as well? Had he something to do with the Golden Warriors? Were they friends? Family? Besides them, who else had tails? Their parents? Or their children maybe? But if Son Goku's children had tails, then… that meant…!

Did Gohan have a tail?

_'There's no way Gohan's got a tail!'_ she screamed in her mind. _'Humans don't have tails! Gohan may be weird and downright mysterious but he is human! Right? Of course he is!'_ She shook her head. _'But does he really have one?'_ She tried to think about any sign of a tail on Gohan. Her eyes widened in surprise. _'The furry belt!'_ No matter what, Gohan always wore that belt. No matter if it combined or not, he just wore it. Videl had thought he simply liked that bizarre belt, but know she doubted it was even a belt. Was it a tail? Gohan's tail?

Was that even remotely possible?

She bit her lip. She really didn't know what to think right now. Humans with tails? With furry, monkey-like brown tails? Was that even possible? Genetically and scientifically possible? Probable? Improbable? A virus? A disease? Genetic mutation? Heritage? Could it be? Could it not be? Videl had so many questions in her mind she wouldn't be that surprised if her head just burst!

_'I don't even know what to think right now,'_ she thought with a sigh. _'I really need to ask Gohan about this. And I_ am _getting my answers no matter what!'_

* * *

"BIG BROTHER! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! UP! UP! UP! UP!"

Gohan groaned and sighed as Goten jumped on him, screaming for him to wake up. _'Well, at least this time he didn't fall asleep,'_ the half-breed mused, yawning. "I'm awake already! You can stop jumpin' on me, Goten!"

"'Kay!" Goten jumped off his brother and did some tricks only advanced athletes could, landing on his two feet perfectly. "Hurry up so we can eat breakfast now!"

"Okay, okay!" Gohan stretched and then rubbed the sleep off his eyes. He sighed. He was still kind of nervous. Sure, the conversation with his father yesterday had calmed him a lot, but he was still worried. _'I shouldn't think that way. I should be thinkin' positive. I know by a fact that being a pessimistic isn't going to take me anywhere.'_

After getting ready, he went to eat breakfast with his family. His mother had prepared some omelets, and they were delicious! Then again, no-one could really compare to Chi-Chi's culinary skills. "These are great, Mom!" Gohan complemented.

"The greatest," Chimaki added.

Chi-Chi smiled. "Why, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying."

Goku glanced at Gohan. "So, how are we for school today?"

"Good." _'Still kinda nervous, but other than that, good.'_ "I just hope they won't say anything."

"About what?" Chi-Chi questioned.

"Gohan's class found out that I'm his father, and well… you know, Hercule-fanatics," Goku explained.

"Really?" Goten asked. "That's gotta suck."

"They're crazy." Chimaki snorted. "I'm sure glad I'm not in high school."

"You'll be when you're Gohan's age," Chi-Chi said. She looked at Goten as well. "You and Goten both are."

"Aw." Goten and Chimaki both pouted.

Gohan laughed. It was funny seeing both of his siblings pouting about that. "Believe me, I know what that feels." He finished his breakfast and sighed. "Well, I'm off to Hell." He stood up, kissed his mother on the cheek, ruffled both of his siblings' hair and bumped fist with his father. "See ya!" He got his school bag and took off.

* * *

Videl ran towards the jewelry shop. Another crime for her to stop! Well, at least it was early this time. Just when she arrived to the crime scene, someone landed by her side. Videl didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. "Golden Fighter. Why am I not surprised?"

Gohan grinned. He had been flying on the way to school when he spotted some thieves stealing a shop. So, he landed, pressed his watch's button and thus the Golden Warrior ran towards the crime scene. "Videl. Why am I not surprised to see _you_ here?"

Videl smirked. "Well, maybe 'cause I am the one girl in this city who goes around fighting off criminals."

The Golden Fighter smirked as well. "True."

The criminals glanced to Videl and Gohan uncertainly. Shit! This was Mr. Satan's daughter and the so-called Golden Fighter that fought criminals all around the city! There hadn't been one criminal that had been able to escape them. The group of five delinquent glanced at each other nervously. Screwed!

The leader gritted his teeth. He didn't care if these two were the best crime-fighting teenagers on the whole city. He was _not_ going down without a fight! "All right, you two fuckers! I ain't givin' a damn who th' hell ya are or what ya do! I ain't lettin' ya beat us! If ya wanna get us t' jail, then ya hafta fight! An' we ain't as weak as 'ose others usless maggots you've fought!"

"And you could learn how to speak! I've heard uneducated little children who speak better than you!" Videl snapped.

"Ya think I care?! Imma show ya!" He turned to his comrades. "C'mon! Whatcha waitin' for? Let's beat 'em! We'll kill 'em!" The gang of thieves ran towards Gohan and Videl with pure intentions to beat them.

Videl sighed and turned to the Golden Fighter. "Let's do what we do best."

The Super Saiyan nodded. "Right!"

Videl easily took out two of the gangsters. And not surprisingly the Golden Fighter was handling the situation as well. He had beaten the three of the other gangsters. Or at least, two of them, as the leader stood up and weakly jumped to get a hold of whatever he could—which happened to be Gohan's furry yellow tail which was neatly wrapped around his waist. Gohan didn't expect that at all. It was actually kind of ackward. _'Thanks goodness Dad trained my tail because if it wasn't I'd be on the floor in pain right now.'_ "Let go."

"No!" the thief yelled. "I ain't lettin' go!"

"Okay then…" Gohan unwrapped his tail from his waist. It was so quick the leader wasn't even able to react and before he knew what was going on he was smashed against the ground, knocked out.

Videl smiled at their work. "Okay, I think we fini…" she trailed off. She had turned around to talk to the Golden Warrior but she wasn't able to even continue her sentence when she noticed the golden, furry monkey-like tail that was waving freely in the air. _'A-A tail!'_ she screamed in her mind. _'Just like the Former Champ's! Just like…'_ She was dumbfounded. _'It can't be… He has a tail as well… A furry… monkey-like tail…'_ She had read Son Goku had a tail, she had seen the Golden Warriors of the Cell Games with tails on those videos, and she suspected Gohan had one as well. But it was different reading and watching videos that are probably edited than seeing a tail with her very own eyes.

Gohan blinked, confused, and apparently forgetting the fact he was letting his tail to be exposed. "What's the matter?"

"T-T-Tail…"

Gohan blinked, then looked down to see his furry golden tail lashing back and fro. _'Crap! I forgot to hide it. What can I say now?'_ "Uh… yeah, that's right. It's a tail…" _'I gotta think something quick! I can't tell her I'm a half-alien!'_

"But… but how?" Videl had seen pictures of the Golden Warriors and Son Goku with tails, but seeing the Golden Fighter with one in real life was a whole different thing. She wanted to believe it was fake, but she couldn't do so seeing the way the tail moved on its own free will. "Is it real?"

Gohan pondered if saying it was a fake tail or not. If he lied, she would ask where he got it. He could say he got it from Capsule Corporation, but then she would begin to investigate and he didn't want to drag Bulma into this mess. If he said the truth, he could simply say he was born with it and had no idea why. Hey, that might work! After all, for everyone he was a superhuman teenager who had superpowers. Why would he having a tail be weird? "It's real. I was born with it. I don't know why though."

Videl stayed quiet. So, that thing was indeed real. She was having a hard time believing it. But if the Golden Fighter had a tail, and the Delivery Boy had a tail as well then…

"Heritage maybe?" Videl asked. That golden-haired man from the Cell Games… the one who fought Cell after her father… probably the Delivery Boy's father… If the Golden Fighter was the Delivery Boy, maybe he got that tail from his father. The guy also had a tail in the Cell Games' videos.

Gohan was surprised she figured that out. _'But then again, it's a good explanation. That doesn't mean she's figured my identity out.'_ "Maybe." _'I'd better change topics before she starts asking too much. Besides, I think school is gonna start soon.'_ "So, our job is finished here. I guess we'll be seeing each other when the next crime comes."

Videl blinked out of her thoughts and nodded. "Yeah."

The Golden Warrior smiled a little and waved. "Well, see you later then!" He blasted off, leaving Videl alone. It didn't take long for the police chief to appear and ask Videl about the crime and how she stopped it. Videl explained him that the Golden Fighter and her had defeated them and then walked to her school with a lot of thoughts on her mind—primarily about the Golden Warrior.

She was almost certain the Golden Fighter was the Delivery Boy grown up. They both had superpowers, they both had golden spiky hair, teal eyes and furry golden monkey tails. The Delivery Boy was around her age, and the Golden Fighter was also around her age. It made a lot of sense they were connected somehow. Videl thought about when she asked the Golden Warrior if he was the Delivery Boy or not, back when they became partners.

_Videl's smile soon turned into a smirk. "But, don't you dare think I've given up about finding who you are, 'cause I haven't!"_

_The Golden Fighter also smirked. "Well, you're not finding out any time soon."_

_"We'll see," Videl replied. "Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask you, are you the Delivery Boy?" She raised her hand, stopping him from saying something. "And before you say anything, I'm not asking you your name, so it's fair game."_

_"Clever," the Golden Fighter replied. He didn't want to lie, but he most certainly didn't want to tell the truth either. "You're a smart girl, Videl. So think. Am I the Delivery Boy or not? Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. You'll have to find out on your own." And with these words, he winked and flew away._

He hadn't denied being the Delivery Boy. If he wasn't, he would have probably laughed and said she was crazy or something and then deny any connection to the boy. But he didn't. He didn't deny it. Then that meant…

Videl smirked. She felt like jumping around and shout in joy. She had finally put two and two together! There was still a lot for her to discover, but this was a first. _'I may not know your name yet, Mr. Golden Fighter. But, I know you are the Delivery Boy. There's no denying it!'_

* * *

Up to now, Videl hadn't said anything about tails or the Golden Fighter in general. Gohan was glad. Well, that didn't mean she wasn't _thinking_ about it, but it was still better than having to come up with lies to hide the truth. She was his friend, but he didn't know if he could trust her enough to tell her the truth. But then again, they were in class, and she wouldn't just talk in class when the teacher was explaining something important.

Just then, the bell rang signalizing the first break of the day. Gohan was making his way out of the class room when he heard someone calling him. "Gohan." He turned around to see Videl.

_'Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking.'_ "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you," Videl said. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

"Uh…" Gohan was becoming nervous. He was hoping she wouldn't ask anything that might reveal something. "Sure."

Videl smiled. "Great! Let's go."

The two went to the rooftop of the school. They sat in the floor facing each other. "Gohan, I wanted to talk to you about that belt you have." When Videl had arrived to the class, Gohan was there and he still had that furry belt around his waist. That's when Videl knew it was a tail like the one his father had. He just wanted him to confirm it himself. "I saw some pictures of your dad yesterday. He had this furry brown tail. I don't know if it's true or not. But then I remembered you and your belt. I'm curious and want to know if that belt of yours is really a belt or is it really a tail."

Gohan stayed quiet. _'She's not asking me for the Golden Fighter. She's asking me because she saw photos of my dad with his tail. Maybe if I tell her the truth, she still won't find the Golden Fighter's identity. Just because we both have tails it doesn't mean we're related.'_

"I won't freak out if you tell me, you know," Videl spoke. "I just want to know if it's true."

Gohan sighed. "If I tell you this, will you keep it a secret?"

If that what he wanted in exchange of telling her the truth, then fine. "Sure."

Gohan smiled a little. "It's a tail." He unwrapped his tail from his waist and waved it behind him.

_'So, it is true…'_ Videl was surprised, but not as much as she would if she hadn't suspected anything. After all, she had concluded it not too long ago. "Why do you have a tail?"

_'I can't tell her it's because I'm half-alien,'_ Gohan thought. "I don't know. I was born with it, just like my dad. It's a family thing I think, but I don't really know why."

"Everyone in your family have tails?"

"Yeah."

"The Golden Fighter has a tail as well," Videl stated. "Same goes for some of those guys from the Cell Games. Are they part of your family or something?"

"No…" He hated to lie, but he couldn't let his identity be known. "I don't know why they have tails. I don't even know them. My family is not the only one with tails. Maybe they come from other families who have tails."

Videl looked confused. "I've never seen anyone with a monkey tail until now. I didn't know there were more people with tails."

_'That's because they all mostly live on another planet!'_ "I don't know too much people with tails. But at least my family is not the only weird one."

"But how come you guys have tails?" Videl wondered. "Is it something genetic?"

Gohan shrugged. "Dunno." _'It's totally genetic, Videl. I wouldn't have a tail if Dad wasn't a Saiyan.'_ "But, Videl, please keep this a secret! Everyone is talking about me because I'm the former Champ's son now. I don't them to keep seeing me differently—much less because I have a tail!"

Videl could understand that. She was raised as a famous girl and everyone knew about her. She was used to the attention and the press, but not Gohan. She couldn't say she knew a lot about him, because she didn't, but she could at least figure out he wasn't used to be the center of attention. He lived on the mountains, he never appeared on TV or whatever. She couldn't blame him. Besides, if she had a tail, she wouldn't like people to be talking about it and seeing her differently due to it. She would let it go this time. "I promise I will."

Gohan smiled. "Thanks, Videl."

Videl smiled as well. "You're welcome, Gohan."


	14. Living In a Lie

Angela grinned widely at her friends. The moment the bell that indicated break time had rung, Angela had dragged Kima and Kanteki somewhere where they could talk. She could not wait to tell her two best friends that she had succeeded in becoming Gohan's friend. Just the thought of it made her smile uncontrollably. She did it! She managed to talk to the boy she had a crush on and ask him to be her friend without flirting!

Kima glanced at Angela questioningly. _'She looks kinda happier than usual. How come?'_ "What's up, Angela? You look happier than usual." Kanteki nodded in agreement, blinking curiously.

Angela grinned. "That's because I did it!"

Kima and Kanteki blinked. "Did what?"

"Befriend Gohan!" Angela squealed. "I did it!"

"No way…" Kima muttered in shock. She smiled widely at the orange-haired girl. "Great job, Angie! See? You did it! And it took you less than what I thought it would."

Kanteki was grinning in excitement. "What happened? How was it?"

"Well…" Angela blushed a little as she giggled. "I was walking around thinking when I suddenly saw him in the park seeing some exposition or something. He was alone, and I believed that was the perfect opportunity. So, I swallowed up my nerves and ran towards him."

"And then?" Kanteki asked eagerly.

"I began talking to him," Angela said. "He was nice and all. I asked him if we could be friends. He seemed kind of surprised that I asked him that but he said yes!"

"And after that?" Kima inquired.

"I told him I had to go and walked away," Angela replied. "But, I did it! I managed to become his friend!"

"Woah, woah!" Kima laughed. "Aren't you getting too excited already? You've only talked to him once—"

"Twice."

"—which still makes him a complete stranger. You have to know him more. Not force him to tell you everything about him of course. Just gain his trust. Besides, who knows if this is another one of your temporary crushes? You might like someone else before you even know it."

Angela pouted. "I don't mean to!"

"I know you don't," Kima replied. "But that doesn't mean everyone else knows."

"Why don't you tell him about your love problem?" Kanteki suggested.

Angela blushed. "Are you _crazy_?!"

"No. I think it's a pretty good idea," Kima said. "He might help you."

Angela hid her face in her hands. "But that's just embarrassing!"

"But it's better if he knew, because if he didn't he would probably think you dump guys you dated on purpose."

Kanteki nodded in agreement. "I don't know Gohan much, but he seems like the kind of guy that would understand you. I'd be better for you to have someone else other than Kima and I to talk with." She smiled at Angela. "I'm sure everything will work out!"

"You've always been the optimistic one," Angela muttered.

"Listen, it's your decision whether you tell him or not," Kima said. "Whatever your decision is, I'm sure it'll be for the best. But you have to tell him at some point."

Angela thought about that. _'Maybe they're right. Gohan seems like someone that would understand. But still, it's embarrassing!'_ She sighed. _'But it would be nice to have someone other than Kima and Kanteki to talk with and to support me.'_ "I'll tell him. I don't know when but I'll tell him."

Kima and Kanteki smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will go just fine!" Kanteki assured.

* * *

When the bell rang, all the students went to their respective classrooms. Angela frowned when seeing Gohan entering with Videl, and then sighed. _'We're not in a relationship. We're only friends. He's got all the right to be with another girl.'_ She buried her face in her hands. _'But I'm still feeling jealous!'_ She glanced at Gohan who had already sat along Videl with Erasa and Sharpner. _'Then again, they're only friends. Besides, Videl is not exactly a boy-lover. But what if they were together?'_

"Where were you guys?" Sharpner asked curiously. _'I hope they don't have the hots for each other. Videl is_ my _girl! Or at the very least she'll be mine someday.'_

"Uh…" Gohan didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell them he and Videl were talking about him having a freaking tail!

"I… asked Gohan to help me with… uh… physics! Yeah, that's right, physics," Videl lied, hoping they would buy the lie.

"Oh, I see!" Erasa nodded, believing Videl. Sharpner doubted it was only for that though.

Angela watched as Videl and Gohan tried to convince Sharpner that they were just talking about physics and there was nothing else to the story. _'I guess I would have to step aside. I wouldn't want to ruin their happiness. Besides, maybe Kima is right and this is just a silly crush that will soon fade once I meet another guy.'_ She sighed as she rested her head in her desk. _'I hate this habit of falling in love quickly of mine._ _I seriously do.'_

* * *

Lime was doing her chores outside of her house. She soon stopped dead in her tracks when she heard someone call for her. "Yo! Lime!" She turned to see Gohan walking towards her.

"Gohan!" Lime smiled. "What're you doin' here? Shouldn't ya be at school?"

"Uh, not really," Gohan replied. "School already finished."

"It did?" Lime glanced at her clock. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late."

"I noticed."

Lime playfully punched Gohan's chest. "Well, sorry! You ain't the most punctual person ever anyways, so be quiet!"

"Touché," Gohan replied with a grin.

"So, what brings you here, bro?" Lime inquired curiously.

"Why? You're not happy to see me?" Gohan feigned hurt. "Well, gee, I didn't know I wasn't welcome here."

Lime laughed. "You goof! Of course you're welcome here! It's just that I didn't expect you to appear, that's all."

"Well, here I am," Gohan said.

"Rock you like a hurricane!" Lime sang jokingly.

Gohan chuckled. "I see what you did there." He sat in the floor, leaning on the house with Lime following suit. "You won't believe what happened these last few days."

Lime blinked. "What?"

"Well, you see, few days ago in English class, they gave us an article about... guess."

"Uh... the Cell Games?"

Gohan shook his head. "No, thankfully." He cringed at the thought of having an article about the Cell Games. _'That would've been horrible.'_ "It was about the 'mystery of Capsule Corp'."

Lime's eyes bucked. "Mystery?"

"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "Apparently, someone who had seen all the weird things that happen there, like us flying in and out, Vegeta destroying the Gravity Room, us summoning Shenron and whatnot decided to write an article about it. We read it all together and then we had to make groups and comment it."

"And who were you with?"

"The friends I told you about, remember?"

Lime nodded. "You mean, Mr. Satan's daughter and those other two, right?"

"Yep."

"Did you tell 'em something?" she asked curiously.

"No." Gohan shook his head. " I told them I had absolutely _no idea_ that actually happened in Capsule Corp. They bought that, thanks Kami-sama. Then I phoned Bulma, told her about the article and asked her to be careful. Something tells me she won't though." Lime snickered at that. "Then, the day after that, in History we talked about the World Martial Arts Tournaments, and its participants, and its Champions."

Lime gasped. "You mean..."

"Yeah, and now everyone knows who my father is," Gohan said. "You wouldn't believe what people said about him. There were some people that liked my Dad, others than didn't care, but there were others than... I mean, I _know_ the most probable thing that people bad mouthed us and everyone else who uses Ki, but it's different supposing than seeing it for yourself, ya know!" He shook his head. "Whenever we see Hercule on TV or whatever, we just change channel. We ignore him or make fun of him. We never sit there to listen to what he has to say. We all know he doesn't exactly say good things about, but, man, I wasn't aware of how bad he talked about us. I knew he didn't exactly say compliments about us, but come on!"

Lime scowled. "What does that man say?"

"The typical I guess. Coward, trickster, whatever. The amazing thing is how everyone just buys it. I mean, seriously! I know there's people that doesn't believe a single word that man says, thanks God, but most of them believe everything he says!"

Lime sighed. "Stupid people..."

"Yeah," Gohan agreed. "I feel terribly bad for Videl."

"Videl?"

"Mr. Satan's daughter," Gohan explained.

"Why would you feel bad for _her_?" Lime asked.

"Well, because she is his daughter, mainly," Gohan replied. " It isn't her fault she had that guy as her father. She is much open minded than Hercule and I'm sure she'd be a lot stronger if she knew about Ki. She didn't overreact when seeing my tail and even promised to keep it a secret."

Lime's eyes widened. "She knows about your tail? Why?"

Gohan shrugged. "Simple: she saw a photo of my dad and noticed his tail. Then she realized my so called belt was my tail and asked me if it was true. Of course, she doesn't know about aliens and the Cell Games. As far as she's concerned, we've got tails in my family for some weird genetic reason, but we're all still human."

"I see." _'If she's more open-minded, I guess she could be worth of Gohan's trust, but I'm still worried. Thought it is true it isn't her fault she is Satan's daughter. I don't know what would I do if I was in her place.'_ "Are you going to tell her the truth someday?"

"Huh?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about," Lime said. "The Golden Fighter, the Saiyans, the Cell Games..."

"I don't know," Gohan admitted. "I don't think it's a good idea if I tell her just yet. I have a feeling she'll find out somethin' sooner or later, but I'm hoping she won't."

"You'll have to be more careful," Lime said. "From what you said, I can tell that girl's smart. You'll have to outsmart her somehow."

"I know."

"Good thing you're smart, too." Lime grinned. "You're one of the smartest people I know. Where did you get that brain of yours?"

Gohan didn't know, really. "Uh... dunno. From my Dad I guess." At Lime's perplexed expression, he laughed. "Come on, Lime! My Dad is a genius when it comes to fighting! He has to be pretty smart to be so good at strategy an' stuff. The one reason of why he doesn't shine in any other area is because he doesn't really care about things like, say, science."

Lime never had seen it that way. "Maybe you're right."

"I know I am," Gohan replied. The two teenagers chatted a little longer until it got late and Gohan decided to go home. While he flew towards his house, Gohan wondered about Videl and everything she was learning from him. She knew he was a fighter, Son Goku's son, and that he had a tail. But other than that, she knew nothing of him. She didn't know he was half-Saiyan, part of the Earth's Special Forces and that he was the Golden Fighter as well as the defeater of Cell. Honestly, Gohan didn't know if she should ever know about it. After all, finding out your father is a liar must suck. Gohan didn't think Videl deserved that, even if she was bossy, stubborn and somewhat overbearing. Bossy, stubborn and somewhat overbearing… hey, that actually sounded like his mom! _'They would be the best of friends,'_ Gohan chuckled as he landed at his front door.

* * *

Videl was hanging out with Erasa, Gohan and Sharpner after school ended. She was having fun with them but her thoughts seemed to just go back to the Golden Fighter no matter what happened. Ever since making the connection between the Delivery Boy and the Golden Fighter she has wanted to question him about it. Unfortunately for her, criminals seemed to take a break that particular weekend and there were no crimes for her to stop. Not that she minded the lack of work but the only time she ever got to see the golden-haired warrior was when they fought criminals. Other than that, she had no idea where to find him. She didn't even know his name yet!

Just when she was thinking that, her watch began to beep. Videl had to work hard on fighting the smile that was threatening to appear on her face. Finally! She would finally get to talk to the Golden Fighter again and make him confess he's the Delivery Boy! She couldn't wait to see his shocked face when he found out she already put two and two together. "What is it, officer?"

_"Videl! There's a robbery on Satan Bank, just beside the main park! We need your assistance as well as the Golden Fighter's if probable!"_

"I'm on my way!" Videl replied. "As for the Golden Fighter, I'm sure he'll show up by himself."She glanced at her friends with an apologetic look. "Sorry guys, but I gotta go."

Erasa smiled. "It's fine, 'Del! We know you have to fight those criminals!"

Sharpner nodded. "Yeah, show 'em what you're made of."

"Yeah, but go easy on them, or you might end up sending them to hospital more than to jail!" Gohan joked. He knew Videl's strength—he had fought along her long enough to know no criminal stood a chance against her—so he wasn't worried. He doubted she would even need any help. _'But they did ask for the Golden Fighter to be there.'_

Videl smiled. "You got it!" She ran towards the bank and out of her friends' sights.

Gohan stared at the direction she had run off to. He knew she could handle herself, but he wanted to help and moreover they actually called for him. "So, guys, I think we should go home. Or at least _I_ should go home." He hoped they would agree.

Erasa nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Sharpner shrugged. "Then I guess I should go too."

They said their goodbyes and walked in direction to their homes. Well, Erasa and Sharpner were going home. Gohan was going to a very different place. He ran to a dark corner, made sure there was no one watching, and transformed.

* * *

Videl arrived at the crime scene, and just as she expected, her partner landed beside her. "Hello, Videl!"

"Hey, Golden Fighter." She smirked excitedly. She couldn't wait to get him admit the fact he was the Delivery Boy! _'We have to stop the bad guys now, but after we do so, I'll ask him.'_ "Are you ready for criminal ass kicking?"

The golden-haired teenager smiled. "Of course I am!"

Making long story short: all the robbers got their asses kicked and ended up with handcuffs on their wrists. Like always, the police chief thanked his two favorite criminal stoppers before driving away with the rest of his men. Gohan smiled and turned to face Videl. "Well, I think I should go."

"No, wait!" Videl stopped Gohan dead in his tracks. The Super Saiyan blinked, surprised. Videl had never stopped him before. "I want to ask you something… Well, more like, I want you to _confirm_ something."

Gohan was already dreading whatever she wanted to confirm, but forced himself to act calm. "What is it?"

"I'd be better if we talked privately, for your sake at least," Videl said. _'Maybe he won't hide anything if we're alone.'_

That only made Gohan dread whatever she wanted to confirm all the more. "Okay."

They walked to a small park some few streets away from the bank which was surprisingly deserted. There was no one other than them there. They sat in a bench. "What is that you wanted me to confirm?" the Super Saiyan asked, somewhat nervously.

_'Here we go.'_ "I know you're the Delivery Boy, Golden Fighter. There's no denying it. I just want you to confirm it."

The Golden Fighter sighed. _'I should've seen this coming. She really is smart. Is she related to Sherlock Holmes or something?'_ He glanced around the park as if to confirm there was no-one—either that or to find a way to escape. Videl was staring at him, demanding answers. _'I guess there is no point in lying. Besides, it's not like she'll know my name. No one knows who the Delivery Boy is. No one knows who we are. She won't find out easily.'_ "If I tell you, will you keep it a secret?"

Videl thought about her last sleepover with Erasa. She had promised her blonde haired friend she would tell her whatever she learned. She didn't want to break that promise. "I promised a friend I would tell her what I learned," she admitted. "But other than that, I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Gohan guessed the friend Videl was talking about was Erasa. It wasn't that he didn't trust Erasa. It was just that she didn't seem like the type that would keep a secret considering how much she liked gossip. "Will your friend keep it a secret?"

Videl nodded. "Of course. My friend is a talkative person, but she keeps secrets when she's asked, I swear." Even though Erasa was a very talkative person and she loved gossip, she was true to her word and never told Videl's secrets to anyone. Videl didn't see why Erasa would betray her now. They were best friends!

The demi-Saiyan sighed. "Then I guess it's alright." _'I just hope I won't regret this later.'_ "It's true. I am the Delivery Boy."

Videl smiled. "I knew it!" She bumped her fist into the air. "I was right!" She looked at the Golden Fighter with a whole set of new eyes. He was the Delivery Boy. He was that very same boy. The boy who had been in the Cell Games… "What happened at the Cell Games?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"The Cell Games," Videl began. "I know by a fact that you were there. What happened after the TV transmission was cut off?" She had always wanted to know. She believed her father's story and that he defeated Cell. But still, for some weird reason, she couldn't help but think there was something… _fishy_ about it. Her father could punch holes in busses and drag planes with a rope—but Cell could destroy armies, and the Golden Fighter could lift busses without breaking a sweat! Even though her father was the Champion of the Earth, it still didn't make sense. The Cell Games could've been staged, but she had seen the Golden Fighter lift that bus with her own eyes.

Gohan was honestly surprised Videl asked that. _'I can't tell her the truth this time.'_ "Your father knows what happened. He was there too. Haven't you asked him?"

"Of course I have asked him!" Videl snapped. _'Is that sarcasm I hear in his voice?'_ "Everyone knows my dad defeated Cell! He is the World Champion after all! But still…" her voice was barely a whisper now. "I don't know if…" She shook her head. "You know what? Never mind." She sighed, trying to calm herself and to control all the thoughts that were running wild in her mind. "Thanks for confirming you're the Delivery Boy. Now I know I was right." She stood up. She needed to be alone. She needed to deal with her own thoughts on her own. She needed to get away from _him_! "I'll see you when the next crime happens, okay? Well then, bye!" The she ran off as fast as she could.

"Bye…" Gohan was left dumbfounded, staring at the direction the fiery girl went. _'What just happened?'_

* * *

Videl ran into her house—or better said mansion. She didn't even bother to say hello to her father. She just ran straight to her room and closed the door with bang. She didn't know why, but she just had a huge urge to get away of the Delivery Boy. _'I know he knows something! I know my Dad beat Cell but somehow I can't help but think there's something fishy. He was there too! Why can't he tell me? Does he think I know something because I am Hercule's daughter? I don't even know anymore!'_ She shook her head and sighed. She grabbed her smartphone and quickly searched for Erasa's number. Her mood was getting better and better when she thought about surprising her best friend and telling he what she had found out. She couldn't wait to tell Erasa she was right! It was only two rings before Erasa answered her phone. _"Hello?"_

"Erasa!" Videl grinned. Somehow, her mood brightened when she got to talk to her best friend.

_"Hey, 'Del!"_ Erasa greeted in her cheery voice. _"You sound exited. What's the deal?"_

Videl laughed. "That's because I am excited! You won't believe this!"

_"Believe what?"_

"Remember when we had that sleepover and I told you I thought the Delivery Boy was the Golden Fighter?"

_"Yeah."_

"Well, I asked him about it today, and guess what? He said he was!"

Erasa gasped. _"I don't believe it!"_

"You better do!" Videl laughed. "I was right! I was actually right!" Her voice turned serious. "But you can't tell anyone about this, Erasa. It's a secret!"

_"Okay!"_ Erasa replied. _"My lips are sealed, I swear!"_ Videl smiled. Good old Erasa. You could always count on her. The two girls chatted on the phone for a while, until Erasa had to go to eat dinner. Suddenly, a knock was heard on her door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, sweetheart," the booming voice of Mark "Hercule" Satan was heard. For some reason, Videl's happy mood faded the moment she heard her father's voice. Maybe it was because she was still confused about the truth of the Cell Games? "Come in, Daddy!"

The door opened and in came Hercule. "Hey, Videl," he said. "Good thing your home. You didn't even go to tell me your back!"

"I guess it slipped my mind, Dad…" Videl replied.

"Well, you better not forget next time. After all, I worry about my little princess. Why were you so late anyways?" Hercule scowled when an idea came to him. "It's better not be because of a boy!"

_'I can't tell him I was with the Golden Fighter. He'll just rant on and on about him being a trickster and stuff.'_ "Not really. There was a robbery going on and I stopped it."

Mr. Satan smiled, full of pride. "That's my girl! You show 'em why you're the Champion's daughter! Hahaha!"

Videl smiled a little, but then frowned, remembering her conversation with the Golden Fighter. "Hey, Daddy…"

"Yeah, sweet pea?"

"What happened at the Cell Games?" Videl asked. "I mean, after the TV transmission cut off?"

Hercule was startled by this question. "What d'you mean 'what happened'?" he questioned, a nervous tone barely audible in his booming voice. "You know what happened! I was bored o' those tricksters playin' around and decided to stop it all! I jumped in between their games and beat Cell by myself! And that, sweet pea, is 'cause I am the strongest man ever! BWAHAHAHA!"

Videl knew that story already. She sighed. Her father was acting like if there were a camera in the room once again. He was a loving and overprotective father. However, he always acted like this when he was asked about either him being the Champion, the Cell Games or Majin Buu. _'He has such a huge ego!'_ "But what about the Golden Warriors?"

"Them?" Hercule laughed. "They went home after I ended their lil' games once an' for all!"

"They didn't say anything?" Videl asked.

"They didn't say anythin' important," Hercule said quickly. "I can't even remember what they said. But they left pretty quickly."

"I see." _'But it's still fishy. Why would they go away? Were they scared of my dad or something?'_ "You're the strongest, Daddy."

Mr. Satan smiled proudly. "I know I am. And you're gonna be the strongest one day too."

Videl's eyes lighten up. "Really?" she asked eagerly. That was her dream. She dreamed of becoming as strong as her father one day.

"Of course!" Hercule didn't want to admit it, but he was becoming older and his strength would start leaving him. "I won't be young forever. Someday, I will be too old, and I want you, sweet pea, to become the next World Champion!"

Videl grinned widely. All of her bad mood was wiped out of her mind when she thought about surpassing her father and becoming the first female Champion. Maybe even the youngest! If Gohan's dad was the youngest Champion ever, and he was eighteen when he became Champion, then she could totally beat that record! After all, she was going to turn seventeen in some months and the Tournament was said to be coming back this year.

Hercule smiled at his daughter. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "Dinner's gonna be ready soon."

Videl nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll go wash up." She stood up and left the room.

Hercule stood there staring where his daughter had gone. He loved Videl and would do everything to protect her. She was his little girl! But, for some reason, he still lied to her. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. When he came back from the Cell Games, he was considering to tell his daughter the truth, because she deserved it. But the moment he saw those beautiful blue eyes looking up at him with such admiration, he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth.

His father had owned a dojo named the Satan Castle, in which he trained in to become stronger. In a mixture of power and good luck, Mark managed to become the strongest, much to his father's great delight. One day, in South City, he and his father found this weird looking man whose appearance consisted of small, beady eyes, a pointed nose, a small thin mustache, with his black hair and ponytail. They made fun of his hairstyle, unaware that that man was Mercenary Tao, a highly skilled assassin. He killed Mark's father and fatally injured Mark himself. Ever since then, he swore, he, Mark Satan, would never fight someone he did not know, or who was insanely strong.

He managed to get a wife and together they had a daughter, their pretty Videl. He loved his daughter more than anything. As the years passed, he and his wife did not get along and ended up divorced. It wasn't long after that, that his ex-wife was killed in an accident. He was too proud to admit it, but he was affected by her death. Even though, it was true that after he divorced and his ex was killed he used his fame to seduce and sleep with other women (and that caused some friction between him and Videl), he never found any other woman like her.

When he heard the 24th World Martial Art Tournament, he began training himself as well as Videl. He wanted to surpass all of the Champions before him—Son Goku, Tien Shinhan, Jackie Chun—he wanted to beat them all. Those guys, they used some weird super powers, and he wanted to prove you didn't need super powers to be the World Champion! In the end, both, he and Videl ended up winning their respective categories. Ever since he won the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament, he became rich and famous. He believed that, if he really won the championship, he was really the strongest fighter ever. When the Cell Games were announced, Mr. Satan was sure he would be able to beat him. After all, he was the strongest, right? But when he did all that light blast and stuff, the only explanation Mr. Satan could come up with was that they were tricks. What else could they be? They had to be tricks!

Mr. Satan couldn't see much when Cell was defeated. He explained that everything weird that was happening was a trick. When Cell was defeated, the Golden Warriors were gone. Mr. Satan had barely seen a thing but he knew those guys—mainly the blonde ones—had something to do with Cell's defeat. The reporter, Jimmy, was wondering what happened, and asked him to explain what happened. What really happened? He was debating whether tell him the truth or lie. In the end, his ego, his pride, the want of power, the fact he didn't want to lose everything he had built won the battle. He explained he got bored with the tricks and that he stepped in and defeated Cell himself. Surprisingly, Jimmy believed him, as did the whole world. Ever since then he was called Earth's Hero.

When Majin Buu came up, he was asked to defeat the monster. He was terrified, but decided to take on the task. What happened was pretty much the opposite of what he believed that would. He befriended Majin Buu. He became his friend! They even found a dog together! Then Buu went evil and he and the puppy—named Bee—travelled around the world alone. Hercule didn't remember much about what happened. In fact, he was sure it was some kind of dream. He remembered a green boy, something about fusions, absorptions, Guardians and Gods. But there was no way that was real. It couldn't be. He had woken up in Majin Buu's house after all! Bee was there too, but Buu was not. He searched for Buu and couldn't find him. Then that meant... either he beat Buu or his dream was actually not a dream. Then he remembered, Buu had mentioned a wizard. What if he had defeated that wizard and ended up all the madness? Buu and those weird guys didn't exist. But Bee was still there...

Mr. Satan walked towards the huge dining room and spotted Bee sleeping in a corner. He smiled and patted the puppy's head. _'Bee must remember,'_ he mused. _'I only wish he could talk to me to tell me.'_ Even if Buu was an evil monster, he was still his friend. Mr. Satan constantly wondered what really happened to him. He knew he stood no chance against Buu. Who could've defeated him?

And those who really beat Cell and Majin Buu, would they ever appear? Would they be mad because he took their credit? After all, they never asked him for it!

Hercule was aware he was living a lie. And in fact he loved the lie. He loved the fame and the fact that in his own little world, he was the strongest fighter. But there were little times like this—when he thought about Buu or his little princess Videl—that he wondered if taking the credit was the best idea ever. Sure, people saw him as the Hero of Earth and he loved it. He loved the fame, the woman and the money. But, despite all that, Hercule knew deep inside that it could risk him the one person he loved the most.

"Hey, Daddy. What's with that face? Are you thinking about something?" Videl asked curiously as she entered the dining room and sat in a chair.

Hercule forced a smile as he sat across his daughter. "No, sweet pea. I'm fine!"

He just hoped that Videl would never learn the truth, for he wouldn't be able to stand it if his own daughter hated him.


	15. Thanks to Chemistry

"Alright, students, today we're going to prove the properties for compounds made from chemical bonds are correct by doing some experiments in the lab. For that, we'll work in pairs. Don't get too excited, because I am making them. Now, make sure to grab your notebooks because you must make notes. Now, let's go!"

Gohan sighed as he grabbed his notebook. He was hungry and wanted to eat something. Not to mention he was tired. Goten had woken him up fairly early, and in all honesty, Gohan didn't know whether be glad or angry at him for it. At the very least this had been a fairly good day. There hadn't been any crimes to stop either, so there was no need for Golden Fighter to make an appearance. Gohan was kind of glad. He didn't know if he could keep his secret identity if Videl kept investigating like she was. He just hoped he could keep his secrets a secret.

The class made their way to the lab. Their chemistry teacher—a short, white-haired man with glasses—managed to get the class' attention to him. "All right then, now I'll make the pairings." The teacher began to list the pairings.

_'I wonder with whom I'll end up with,'_ Gohan wondered as he listened to the teacher.

"Gohan and Angela."

Both, Gohan and Angela raised their heads when hearing their names being called, and then turned to glance to each other. Gohan smiled a little and Angela returned the smile, but inside she was thrilled. _'I'll get to be with Gohan!'_ Kima and Kanteki exchanged knowing looks and grinned, giving Angela a wink and a thumbs-up respectively.

Videl noticed Gohan and Angela glancing at each other and frowned. She shouldn't be that surprised, because that was a typical reaction to when you were paired up with someone. But, for some reason, she felt some kind of weird feeling she could not place. _'But why should I care?'_ she thought. _'Maybe because he's my friend, and I don't want him to be used by some boy lover as Angela.'_ She blinked. _'Woah, I really do consider him as my friend. When did that happen?'_ She considered Gohan as some kind of comrade, of a guy who hanged out with them at was friendly. She was pretty surprised when she realized he somehow made his way into her 'real friends' list—after all, he never seemed to care she was Mr. Satan's daughter and he always acted the same way with everyone else.

"Videl and Rick." Videl perked up when hearing her name and frowned when noticing who her pair was—a dude who was full of himself and also a bully. She sighed. _'Great.'_

After the professor had finished listing the pairs, he ordered them to sit together in a table. Gohan and Angela did as told. "Hey," Gohan greeted with a smile.

"H-Hey!" Angela greeted. _'I can't believe this! I'm actually talking to him!'_ She became anxious. What could she say? "So, we're together for this, huh? I hope I won't hold you back 'cause I suck at chemistry. It just doesn't seem to get in my head," she said, somewhat nervously, and then sighed. That was true after all.

"No worries," Gohan replied. "I'm pretty sure you'll get this stuff eventually. It's not that hard once you understand it."

Angela smiled. "Yeah, I guess." She played with her hair a little. "Good thing one of my friends is actually quite good at this stuff. She usually teaches me and another friend of mine too." She giggled. "I really owe her the fact I've actually passed the exams." _'Hey, talking to a boy doesn't seem too bad!'_

Gohan smiled. "Really? That's neat! Who's your friend?"

"She is." Angela pointed to Kima, who was working with a brown haired boy of their class. "Her name's Kima, and she's been my best friend for a very long time. My other friend is that green haired girl over there." She pointed to Kanteki, who was working with a blonde haired guy. "Her name's Kanteki."

"They seem nice," Gohan commented.

"They are," Angela replied.

Gohan smiled. "That's cool. Okay then, now we gotta do this stuff." He sighed as he picked the working sheet up.

"Aww, but I don't want to!" Angela whined.

"Believe me, no-one does," Gohan said. "But we have to. Don't worry, we'll make it together."

That seemed to cheer Angela up. "Okay!"

Videl looked at them from the corner of her eye. Gohan and Angela seemed to be getting along. But, why did she have that weird feeling? It was very strange. Not to mention Rick has been trying to hit on her all this time. She wasn't even paying attention to his comments, but she was losing her patience.

"C'mon, babe! Why don'tcha get a boyfriend—a real man—for a change? Like _me_ for example!" Videl hear Rick say and decided she'd had enough.

"Shut the hell up, Rick!" she snapped and narrowed her eyes. "Now, if you _know_ what's better for you, you'll shut up, and we'll concentrate on getting this damned worksheet done! If not, then I am going to kick your ass! You heard me?" She smirked when seeing Rick nod nervously. "Good."

Back with Gohan and Angela, they were doing quite good. They were doing the experiments correctly, and whatever Angela could not understand well Gohan explained to her. She was really happy to be teamed up with him, and she loved his friendly personality, but there was a part of her that was still worried. _'I gotta remember this might be just a random temporal crush. We're just friends, we're just friends!'_ She then remembered what Kanteki had suggested the day before. _'Should I tell him?'_ She thought things over in her head. Her friends might be right. After all, it would be better for them both if Gohan knew the truth about her 'problem'. "Hey, Gohan…"

"What is it?" he asked.

Angela took in a deep breath. "After school… could we talk? I need to tell you something."

Gohan blinked. _'What would she want to tell me?'_ "Okay…"

* * *

Chemistry had already ended, and Gohan and Angela had handed their work to the professor along with their other classmates. After that, Angela had excused herself and went towards her friends. They hadn't talked since, but Gohan was still kind of worried. What would she want to tell him? _'I guess I'll have to wait for school to end to find out.'_

"I can't believe the professor! I know he doesn't really like us, but why would he give us a test next week?" Erasa whined. She, Gohan, Sharpner and Videl were sitting together in a table of the cafeteria chatting. The chemistry teacher had abruptly announced that there was a test next week that included all about chemical bonds and the properties of their compounds. For Gohan it didn't seem too hard, but it clearly wasn't the same for the others.

Sharpner grunted. "Yeah. Stupid old man! Does he seriously believe I actually understand somethin' of that?!" He snorted. "Give me a break! I really don't care about how atoms join to create compounds or whatever."

Videl sighed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to study."

"I could help you guys study if you'd like," Gohan offered. "I don't mind."

Erasa smiled. "Yeah! That would totally help! You're the smartest of our class after all!"

"We could get together to study," Videl suggested.

"What about going to someone's house?" Sharpner asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan!" Gohan grinned, but then frowned. "Whose house, though?"

"What about yours, Gohan?" Videl asked. _'If we go to his house, I might find out more about him. Not to mention I'd meet the former World Martial Arts Champion as well as the woman who was my idol when I was a little girl.'_

"M-Mine?"

Erasa grinned excitedly. "Yeah! That sounds like a pretty good idea! I'd love to see your house!"

Sharpner nodded. "Yeah, that's true." He smirked and elbowed Gohan jokingly. "Not to mention I'd get to meet your dad, and he's a legend in Martial Arts."

"But I live in the 439th East District! In Mount Paozu!" Gohan argued. "It takes hours to go there, and besides, I live in the middle of nowhere! My house is seriously surrounded by a forest! How would you do it to go there, and then go back? It'd be a waste of time." Gohan knew that they could probably do that with Videl's Jet Copter. After all, they managed to go to West City—which is even farther away than Mount Paozu from Satan City—and make it back in less than a day. Still, he was worried. His family was not a normal one by Earthling standards and he didn't know if three city kids would be able to make it out without noticing at least _something_ weird.

"But we could always go to sleep to your house!" Erasa suggested. "We could go on the weekend, and spend from Friday to Monday at Gohan's house!" That suggestion only made Gohan much more nervous than before.

"Yeah, and we could use my Jet Copter to go there as well as come back," Videl said. "After all, I don't want to cause that guy that brings Gohan everyday any trouble with having to transport three extra people."

Gohan almost sighed in relief when he heard that. _'Well, that takes care of that.'_ He was still hoping there would be something to prevent them from going to his house. It was for their own sakes! And his as well!

"Yeah, I like that idea," Sharpner said. He turned to Gohan. "So, can we do that?"

"W-Well…"

"Oh, come on! Please, Gohan!" Erasa used her ultimate technique once again: Puppy Dog's Eyes.

Gohan sighed in defeat. _'Stupid Puppy Dog's Eyes.'_ "Okay, okay. I won't be making any promises. But I'll ask my parents if I can…"

Erasa bumped her fist into the air. "That's great! I'll ask mine too if they let me go!"

Sharpner nodded. "Me too."

"Same goes for me," Videl added. She knew it would be a pain to convince her overprotective father, but she knew she would somehow manage. She couldn't wait! She would get a tutor to explain her chemistry, not to mention she'd get to meet the former Champ as well as maybe find out more about Gohan! _'Let's see if I'll be able to learn something from him.'_

* * *

Angela searched on the crowd of students who were coming out from school. The last bell had finally rang and everyone was happy to be free. When her eyes spotted who she was looking for, she ran towards him. "Gohan!"

Gohan turned around when he heard his name being called and blinked when he saw Angela. He was relieved though. He had been thinking about what she wanted to tell him all day long. "Hey, Angela!" he greeted. "I was lookin' for you. You said you wanted to tell me something. What is it?"

"Erm… can we go to a… you know… less crowded place?" Angela asked, glancing around all the students that were standing around them.

Gohan noticed she was uncomfortable with the idea of everyone hearing out what she had to say. It must really be something important to her. He could understand that. "Okay."

Gohan and Angela went behind the school's grounds. There was no one there, so it was perfect for them to sit and talk. "So, what's what you wanted to tell me?" Gohan asked curiously.

Angela began to blush. _'What can I say?'_ She hated herself for having listened to her friends. This was just so embarrassing! She didn't even know what to say! "You… What have you been told about me?"

Gohan blinked. "Huh?"

"What you heard," Angela said. "What have you been told about me? You must've heard something, right?"

"Well…" Gohan didn't even know if to tell the truth or not. _'What should I say?'_ "I… heard you were a boy-lover."

She smiled sadly and snorted. "Which is true..." She forced a deep breath. "I am a boy-lover… I meet a cute guy and fall in love for him at first sight." She blushed and forced herself to continue. "And it's not like I choose falling in love. I don't, it just happens. It's like some kind of habit of mine."

Gohan felt bad for her, but he was also confused. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well…" Angela blushed, not knowing what she could reply.

Suddenly, it hit Gohan. _'Oh no…'_ "Are… Do you have a crush on me?"

Angela stayed quiet for a while. "Yes!" she finally admitted. Then she buried herself in her hands. "I'm so sorry! I didn't want to fall in love again with a guy I don't know! But it just happened! My friends told me it would be better to get to know you better to see if my crush was temporal or if it was the real deal. I did so and here we are! My crush is most probably temporal, so don't worry! It'll go away with time! Please don't stop being friends with me!" Even if they had barely talked, Angela did think Gohan was her friend—her first friend who was not a girl. Even if they didn't know each other well, she didn't want to lose him!

Gohan blinked. "Woah, woah! Chill out there!" He was surprised by her sudden outburst. He hadn't expected it in the least. "Why would I want to stop being friends with you?"

Angela looked surprised. "Wait… you still want to be friends with me?" she asked in shock. When he nodded, she felt a wave of relief flow into her body. "I'm glad…" She sighed in relief. "I thought that since you knew I had a crush on you, you'd think it'd be better if we weren't friends anymore."

"That's just cruel," Gohan said, but sighed when seeing her shining eyes. "Don't get any ideas, Angela. I'm sorry, but I don't have a crush on you. I'm still willing to be your friend though." He hoped he didn't offend her. He didn't really have any girl friends around his age before coming to school other than Lime and the Saiyan girls, and as far as he was concerned they didn't have a crush on him. At least, he never knew about one of them having a crush on him. With Lime, it was another story…

When they were twelve, he and Lime became curious about relationships. They were pretty young, but they had seen or read about twelve-year-olds being in relationships. Since they were always together, they thought they could be an item. It didn't work out. They lasted around a month or even less. They both decided they were better off as best friends. Even now, they both laughed at the experience. They didn't even consider their relationship as an actual relationship, just like a little experiment. They didn't do much other than hug each other and be together—which was pretty much what they always did before discounting the kisses. And their kisses were really no big deal either. Their first kiss was simply a contact between lips, not those passionate kisses that they showed on TV or those of actual couples they had seen, and the few others were no different. Besides, it was never romantic or anything. Gohan did think Lime was pretty, and Lime did think that Gohan was hot, but other than that, there was no romantic feeling involved. For them, it was their little experiment. And if it did anything was just strengthen their bond as best friends.

"I see." Angela looked somewhat sad, but she had expected it. "It's probably a little crush. It'll go away with time… But, what if it doesn't?"

Gohan shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it's temporal, and if not…" he paused, "…then I guess we'll sort it out some way." He actually had no idea what they would do, but if he could survive life-or-death battles against universal tyrants and killer androids, he could somehow find a way to sort it out. He was in no way a romantic and he didn't know much about relationships as he had never been on one—his 'experiment' with Lime didn't count as an actual relationship for either of them—so he pretty much didn't know what to do, but he guessed that everything would be fine if they had faith.

That was what he hoped, at least.

"I guess you're right." Angela smiled a little. "I'm glad I told you the truth though. I mean, you deserve to know. Besides, if I do fall in love with someone else, then you won't think I stopped having a crush on you on purpose."

"I wouldn't think that," Gohan said. "I don't think you just fall in love with people because you want to."

"But it's a first sight," Angela pointed out. "There are a lot of people who doesn't believe in it. I do. I'm one of its victims, actually." She giggled awkwardly.

"I believe in it, too," Gohan replied honestly.

Angela was surprised. "Are you serious?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. My Mom fell in love with my Dad at first sight. They met when they were twelve, and my mom fell in love with him the moment she saw him. It took some years for Dad to return her feelings, but he did."

"Are they still together?" the orange-haired girl asked curiously.

"Yep," Gohan replied.

Angela smiled. "That's good." The knowledge Gohan's mother fell in love with his father at first sight and that they had actually gotten together and were still a couple gave hope to Angela. "I'm happy for them. I've always had crush on boys. Even when I was a little girl, I ended up having crushes on boys, no matter if they were my same age or older. I've been in a lot of relationships but it never works out. It's usually me who ends up falling in love with another guy…" She sighed and shook her head. "I hope someday I'll find my own prince," she added dreamily. She gazed at Gohan. "It may be you," she said jokingly.

Gohan snorted, but he smiled nonetheless. "Don't be so sure."

Angela laughed. "So, what about you? Have you ever been in a relationship?"

"Well, kind of," Gohan answered honestly. He didn't know if to tell her the truth, but Angela was being honest to him so he should be honest to her. She was not asking anything that may reveal his secrets like the fact he was half-alien like Videl would if she were here. "I have a childhood friend, who lives not too far away where I live. When we were twelve, we became curious with the love thing and decided to see if we worked out as an item. We didn't even last a whole month. We agreed we were better off as friends. We're still friends right now. She's my best friend."

Angela smiled. "Aw, that's cute! I'd like to meet your friend!"

"She's kinda tomboyish though."

"And? Videl is a tomboy, yet she and Erasa are still best of friends," Angela pointed out.

"That's true."

"So, were you in any relationship other than that?" Angela asked.

"Nope." Gohan shook his head. "We don't even think that was even a relationship. That was more like a little experiment between us." He laughed a little. "Don't tell anyone this, though. Okay?"

"Sure! Just as long as you don't tell what I've told you."

"I won't. I promise."

She smiled. "Thanks!"

Gohan smiled. "You're welcome. And hey, whenever you want someone to talk with other than your two friends, just tell me, okay?"

Angela grinned widely. Telling Gohan the truth was not a bad idea at all. "Okay!"

* * *

Angela grinned as she sat on her bed with her laptop on her lap. She typed on the chat she had with Kima and Kanteki and told them what had happened with Gohan a while earlier. She told them she had told him the truth, and that he had understood and had even told her she could always talk to him if she wanted. She had left the part about Gohan and his girlfriend out as well as how his parents fell in love which each other as she had promised she would not tell anyone and she didn't want to betray his trust. Kima and Kanteki had both approved, telling her it was a good decision to tell him and that she now had someone other than them to talk with. For that, Angela was glad. She didn't know if her crush on Gohan would be temporal like all her other crushes or if it would be the real deal this time. Either way, she didn't want to lose the friendship she had formed with him. She glanced at the chemistry notebook that was on her desktop and smiled. Suddenly, chemistry became one of her favorite classes.

* * *

Gohan glared at his chemistry notebook. He didn't know what to do. Somehow, inviting Videl, Erasa and Sharpner to his house seemed much more troubling than Angela having a crush on him. But, thanks to Erasa's damned Puppy Dog's Eyes, he had given his word that he would at the very least _ask_ his parents about letting his friends coming to their home. He sighed and decided to go for it. He walked towards the kitchen where his mother was washing the dishes while his father put them in their respective shelves. "Mom?"

Chi-Chi glanced at her son. "What is it, Gohan?"

"Well…" Gohan began. "You see, we have this chemistry test next week. My friends don't seem to really understand much, so I offered to help them. Then we decided to go to someone's house to study and… well…"

"Let me guess, someone suggested to come here," Goku guessed.

Gohan blinked as he stared at his father incredulously. "How do you know?"

Goku shrugged. "Just a lucky guess."

"So, you're asking if you're allowed to bring them here?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Well yeah. But, they kind of want to stay for the whole weekend," Gohan admitted.

Goku and Chi-Chi glanced at each other and shrugged. "They can come if you want," Chi-Chi allowed.

"Who can come?" Chimaki asked from the doorway.

"Ooh! Ooh! Is someone coming over?!" Goten asked eagerly as he ran into the kitchen.

"I'm not so sure, squirt. Maybe some friends from school may come but we haven't confirmed it yet," Gohan replied.

"Let them come!" Goten said. "I can get more people to play with!"

Chi-Chi shook her head at her youngest son's antics. "No, Goten. Those are Gohan's friends and if they do come, they'll do so to study together and hang around with him."

"Aww…" Goten pouted.

Goku ruffled his son's hair. "Ah, don't worry, kiddo. If I tell you I'll play with you while Gohan's with his friends, will it make you happier?"

Goten's mood improved significantly. "Yeah!"

"I'd like to meet your friends, Big Brother," Chimaki said. "It'd be fun!"

"Well, gee, 'Maki. I don't know," Gohan said. "They're just normal human teenagers, you know."

"And?" Chimaki shrugged. "It still might be fun!"

"I just hope we don't freak them out if they do come," Gohan said, somewhat jokingly.

Goku snorted and laughed a little. "Don't worry, Gohan!" He patted his son's shoulder. "I'm never gonna be like a normal Earthling, that's true, but I can still pass off like one. Same goes for you, Goten and Chimaki. It'll be fine."

Chi-Chi smiled. "I know we're not the most normal family ever, but all families are different. We just have to make sure not to show off too much and we'll be okay. We can do that, right kids?" Goten and Chimaki nodded.

Gohan smiled. "Thanks guys!" _'Maybe, having them coming to my house won't be so terrible, but I'm still worried.'_

* * *

The following day, students arrived before 8 a.m. like they always did and chatted among themselves. Gohan, Erasa, Sharpner and Videl were chatting like they usually did every morning when neither of them—surprisingly, considering both Gohan and Videl were on the group—didn't arrive late.

"So, what did your parents say?" Erasa asked Gohan. "Did they let you invite us to go stay at your house for the weekend?"

Gohan smiled, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. After all, he was nervous of what could happen, but he trusted his family. "They said yes."

Erasa smiled excitedly. "That's so awesome!" she cheered. "I asked my parents if I could go yesterday, and they said yes too! Dad was kind of worried about me going so far away, but Mom managed to convince him it was fine."

Sharpner nodded. "Same goes for me. It took a little bit convincing but my parents let me too."

Videl rolled her eyes. "I managed to convince Dad too, but it took me a lot to do so. He's just so overprotective at times!" It had really been hard for Videl to convince Mr. Satan to let her go to Gohan's house. She, of course, hadn't said anything about Son Goku being Gohan's father or anything. She just explained a friend of hers had offered to go study at his house, and that if he was allowed to they'd go all weekend as he lived really far away. Hercule had begun his 'no-one can date you unless he's stronger than me!' speech until Videl told him Gohan was just her friend and that Erasa and Sharpner would be there anyways. It still took some more convincing but in the end he allowed her to go.

Gohan grinned a little. "That's great!" he exclaimed, though inside he was dreading the weekend that was going to come.


	16. Off to Gohan's House!

Videl was walking down the corridor when she suddenly heard a voice she knew talking with someone inside a classroom. She probably should have continued walking and ignore it, but curiosity got the best of her. She put her ear in the classroom's door and began listening.

"…ight. I live too far away. I don't really think that's a good option." It was Gohan's voice.

"That's okay. I'm sure I can convince my parents if I asked them very nicely. I'm just asking because…" Wait… that was Angela's voice! Gohan and Angela were talking?

For some reason, she felt that weird feeling go through her again. Why? What _was_ that feeling? She had never felt something like it. Well, okay, she _had_ felt that feeling before, in Chemistry when Gohan and Angela were together. But why did she feel that feeling every time they were together? She wasn't sure why, but she didn't like them together. Well, maybe it was because she was worried of Gohan's wellbeing. Don't get her wrong, she didn't have anything against Angela, but she knew that if she and Gohan became an item, the orange-haired girl would probably end up dumping him for another.

"Well," Gohan's voice snapped Videl out of her thoughts, "if that's the case, then I guess it'd be fine if you came to my house to study. Just remember Videl, Erasa and Sharpner will be there."

"That's okay," Angela said. "I don't mind."

Videl froze. Wait…

Angela was coming with them to Gohan's house?!

No, no, no, no, no, _no!_

She really didn't have anything against the boy-lover but why she just _had_ to come with them?! She had this bad feeling every time she saw Angela near Gohan and she had to just deal with it the whole weekend? What about Sharpner? Maybe Angela wanted to have a relationship with him, too! She wasn't even friends with Angela! Sure, they were classmates, and they got along, but please no!

Videl began walking once again, but her mind was elsewhere. _'We were supposed to study between friends. Why would Angela come? She's not our friend! I don't want to be mean, but I don't want her to come!'_

* * *

Two days later, it was finally Friday. Gohan and Videl were standing in front of the school, waiting for Erasa and Sharpner to come. Erasa had to look for some papers and had got Sharpner to go with her. Videl looked around. She thought Angela would be with them since she was coming but she was not in sight. She was confused but she would be lying if she said she didn't feel at the very least a _little_ relieved. She glanced up at Gohan and noticed he didn't seem worried at all. This confused her all the more.

"Hey, Gohan," Videl called.

"Hmm?"

"Where's Angela?" she asked.

Gohan looked at her, confused. "Angela?" _'Why would she ask me that?'_ "I don't know."

"But isn't she coming with us?" Videl blurted.

Gohan blinked. "No, she's not," he said.

Videl was surprised, and even relieved. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Gohan stared at Videl oddly. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, I…" _'Here goes nothing.'_ "I heard you guys talking the other day about studying when we went to your home."

"Oh… _that_."

_"Hey, Gohan!" Angela called as she entered the classroom where Gohan was. He was putting his books into his bag when Angela walked in. Even though they had that talk the day before, and they were friends, Angela still felt that warm feeling as well as the nervousness she usually felt when she was in love with someone._

_"Angela?" Gohan blinked. He knew they were now friends, but he didn't expect her to talk to him so soon. "Hey, what's up?_

_"Oh, nothing much," Angela replied."I just wanted to ask you something. It has to do with Chemistry, actually."_

_"Chemistry?" Gohan chuckled a little. "No offence, but I actually thought it had to do with your 'crush problem'."_

_Angela giggled. "I don't blame you. It's hard not to think about me, especially if I have a crush on you," she joked. Gohan rolled his eyes, but he smiled nevertheless."Okay, but seriously, it's about Chemistry."_

_"What about it?" Gohan asked._

_"Well, you see, I'm supposed to go to Kima's house with Kanteki so that we can study together," she said. "But, there's the possibility Kima won't be able to teach us this time, because her parents want to invite someone else this weekend or something like that. I know you're really smart, maybe the smartest." She didn't want to sound to dreamly, but she did. Gohan, though, didn't really notice. He was awfully naïve when it came to relationships in general. "So, I wanted to know that if she wasn't able to teach me, then you would. If you can, of course."_

_"Well, gee, I don't know, Angela," Gohan said. "Videl, Erasa and Sharpner are coming to my house to study."_

_Angela felt a pang of jealousy towards the two girls, especially Videl, but she shook her head trying to forget about it. "It doesn't matter. I don't mind studying with them too. We're not really friends, but we get along." It was true, they were not friends, but they didn't hate each other and they got along._

_"Well, the other thing is that I live too far," he said. Having Erasa, Videl and Sharpner to his home was already too much. He didn't want to have Angela there too! He just hoped she didn't have a Puppy Dog's Eyes technique similar to Erasa's. If she did, he was screwed._

_"Where do you live?" Angela asked._

_"439 East District."_

_"WHAT!" Angela couldn't believe it._ 'He lives that far?' _"Isn't that like… five hours by car? How do you do it? It must be a pain."_

_"That's right," Gohan replied."I live too far away.I don't think it's a good option."_

_"That's okay. I'm sure I can convince my parents if I asked them very nicely. I'm just asking because of what I told you," Angela said. "If Kima isn't able to teach me, I want you to be the one to teach me, if you don't mind. This is not certain, of course. If Kima has no trouble, or if she does, I'll tell you."_

_"Okay." He hoped Kima would have no problem, since he didn't want Angela to go to his home, but if she did, he couldn't just leave Angela there. He hoped luck was on his side this time._

"…And yesterday, Angela told me that in the end Kima had no problem," Gohan finished his story. "So, no, there's no need for her to come with us."

" I see," Videl said. She smiled a little. What a relief! She had worried about Angela coming with them. Now, she realized she had been worrying about nothing. It was kind of frustrating though. She had ruined her week though to it!

Gohan looked at Videl strangely. "How did you know about that conversation, Videl? You weren't there."

Videl's eyes widened. _'What can I say?'_ "Uh… I was walking by when I heard you guys talk. I heard that part about her asking you to come."

"Oh…"

Before there could be any more conversation between them, Erasa and Sharpner arrived. "We're here!" Erasa called.

"Finally!" Videl replied.

"So, you ready to go?" Gohan asked.

Sharpner nodded and grinned. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he was very excited to finally meet his childhood idol. "We're ready."

Videl nodded and got out her favorite capsule. She threw it and a cloud of smoke appeared. When the smoke disappeared, Videl's Jet Copter was seen, waiting to be used. "Well, c'mon in." She jumped into the Jet Copter, paused, and then turned to her friends with a smile. "Oh, and Gohan, Sharpner," they could've sworn her smile turned somewhat evil as she spoke, "you'll be on the floor." Gohan and Sharpner both groaned. Videl smiled sweetly. "Good."

And so, the four pair of teenagers began their trip towards Mount Paozu's East District. Erasa and Videl chatted happily while Gohan and Sharpner grumbled to themselves, trying to get at least a _little_ comfortable. "So, Gohan, how's your home?" Videl asked, curious.

"Well, gee, imagine a two stories, dome-shaped house that is beside a little blue hut and is surrounded by a huge forest," Gohan said. "With a lot of wild animals, with rivers and mountains here and there, not to mention far away from civilization."

"Wow," Sharpner muttered. "How do you do it? I don't think I would stand being so far away from civilization for so long."

"Me neither," Erasa said. "It must be really lonely."

"Not really," Gohan said. "I'm used to it since I've been living there my whole life. My family's there and I also have some friends I can hang around."

Videl blinked. "Seriously?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Just because I live in Mount Paozu doesn't mean I don't have friends our own age." _'Lime's my age. Well, she's a little younger, but it's the same thing. Dende and Kuriza are somewhat my age too, I think.'_

Videl didn't think Gohan was mean or a bad person, but she had figured that living in the mountains for so long had somewhat made him socially awkward. After all, he didn't act like he had talked to much people in his life when they first met. But maybe she was wrong. Back when they were at the mall, Gohan acted really… _normal_ with Krillin and those other guys. _'I wonder who those friends he's talking about are.'_

"Hey!" Erasa called. "Isn't that your house?"

"Erm…" Gohan glanced out the window as best as he could, considering he was sitting on the floor. "Yeah, that's it."

Chimaki was doing one of her favorites hobbies: drawing. She was leaning against a tree drawing a tiger in her notebook as her little brother chased some bugs. Suddenly, she heard some noise and looked up to see a Jet Copter coming near them. She cocked her head at the side, confused, until she sensed her older brother's Ki on the plane, along three other Kis. Then she remembered. "Goten! Big Brother's coming, and his friends are with him. Hide your tail, and for everything in the world, do _not_ show off your powers!" she ordered. As much as she would like to show Gohan's friends how powerful she was and all the things she knew, she was aware it wouldn't be a good idea. She had given her word she would be as normal as she could be.

Well, as 'normal' as she could be. What was normal for them, anyways?

Goten paused chasing the bug who desperately tried to escape from him. "Aw, do I have to?"

"Yes," Chimaki said. "We're supposed to act like Earthlings. I mean, like full blooded Earthlings."

"But, Rose, Marron, and their families are all humans and they're no better than us," he pointed out innocently.

Chimaki's eye twitched. "Yeah, but…" She sighed. "You know what? I give up. Just don't show off! Remember what Mom told us!"

Goten pouted. "Okay." He did not really think a whole weekend of not flying, training, or playing some of his fun games (which were basically riding dinosaurs, chasing tigers, playing tag in the air, among others) would be so much fun.

Just then, the Jet Copter finally landed. The four teenagers inside it quickly got out of it. Videl capsulated it and looked around, just like Erasa and Sharpner were doing. Gohan's description of his home was real. They seriously were in the middle of a forest, there was a dome house, and beside it there was a very small blue hut. The daughter of Hercule was amazed at the scenery's prettiness. It was really beautiful. She could feel the clean, natural air filling her lungs. It was not like the smog filled air she breathed at Satan City. This one was… natural.

Gohan couldn't help but snicker a little when seeing his friends so awestruck with the scenery. He had never seen someone so amazed by it. _'Guess they're really aren't used to getting out of the city, huh?'_

"BIIIIIIG BROOOOOTHEEEEEEER!"

Startled, Erasa, Videl, and Sharpner turned around to see Gohan being tackled by a young boy. This young boy had wild, black, spiky-hair as well as big, shinning, innocent black eyes. Videl couldn't help but notice she had seen that face somewhere, too.

Gohan laughed as his brother hugged him. "Hi, Goten!"

"Hey, aren't you gonna say hi to your sister as well?" a girl's voice asked. Videl, Erasa and Sharpner turned around to see a girl around 11 or 12 years old, with long, black, spiky hair held in a high ponytail, with bangs falling on her face and two long bangs falling at either side of her face. She also had black eyes, but they weren't Gohan's or his brother's eyes. Videl guessed they were her mother's.

Gohan grinned as he saw his sister. "Hey, 'Maki!"

"Hi, Gohan!" Chimaki grinned. She glanced at the three teenagers who were standing there. There were two girls and one boy. _'Two girls, huh?'_ It might have been somewhat childish, but it was weird for her that Gohan had brought two girls home. She used to be the one girl in Gohan's life (other than their mother, Bulma, Launch and the other women that were friends with their family, but they were older than him). When Lime showed up, back when she was five, she had been very jealous of her, but now she had gotten used to her and they were friends. Still, it was strange. But then again, she was older now. _'Maybe we'll get along.'_ "Hello."

"Hello," the three teenagers replied in unison.

"Oh, that's right!" Gohan exclaimed. He got Goten off of him and stood up. "Guys, these are my siblings. This is Goten."

"Hiya!" Goten greeted cheerfully.

"And that's Chimaki."

Chimaki smiled and waved.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Erasa exclaimed. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, nice meeting you, kids," Sharpner said.

Videl nodded. "Yeah, it's our pleasure."

"Nah, it's ours," Chimaki replied. Her mother had taught her to be polite to strangers, especially if they were guests.

"I see you already arrived, huh?" a voice was heard. Everyone turned at where the voice came from. Gohan, Goten and Chimaki all smiled, Videl and Sharpner stared and Erasa blinked.

"Daddy!" The silence was soon interrupted by Goten's excited call as the little tyke ran towards his father and jumped into his arms.

Videl and Sharpner could only stare in shock. There before them stood Son Goku, a former World Martial Arts Champion and a legend in Martial Arts. It was amazing. They had always dreamed with it!

Sharpner could not help but be flooded with memories of his childhood, learning about Martial Arts. Son Goku had been the star, the Champion of Martial Arts long before Mr. Satan got the tittle. He remembered his young self, wondering what had happened with such a star. No-one knew what happened to him after the World Tournament. Sure, there were people who claimed to have seen Son Goku here and there, with his friends, with his wife and with children they supposed that there were his, but there was no official information. When he had found out Gohan was Goku's son, he had been surprised, but he was also happy to know his childhood idol was still there, he still existed.

Videl was amazed too. What she had heard of Son Goku were mostly things like he was a trickster and a coward from her father, but personally, she did not believe it. She did not believe a World Martial Arts Champion could be a coward. She was not sure on the trickster part, since she knew Son Goku used those weird light attacks, but she guessed he had to be pretty strong despite using tricks. After all, he did win the World Martial Arts Tournament! It was amazing and exciting to finally meet another World Champion. Son Goku was a legend and she was now meeting him! It was unbelievable!

What was also amazing was that he looked just like he did on those blurry photographs she saw. She thought he would have changed—aged—a bit but he did not. He even had the same hair! He was around 18 in some of the pictures she saw. Well, if she did not know better, she would say he was in his early 20s, but that was impossible! There was a little part of her who was thinking about that little detail. The other part of her was too busy processing the fact she was meeting the former Champ. Not to mention she was going to meet her idol, Chi-Chi, soon too!

Erasa blinked. She did not know much about Martial Arts, and she was not that interested in it. She was far more interested in fashion and gossip. But, being friends with Videl and Sharpner for years, she was aware Son Goku was a very famous martial artist. Not to mention he was very handsome too! If she did not know he was Gohan's father, she would say he was his older brother or maybe his cousin. He seemed really young!

Goku smiled at the three teenagers. He was aware they were staring at him, amazed. He chuckled. He was aware he was famous at some point of his life but he did not think he would be that well-known, especially since Hercule had not helped much in keeping his honor. "Hey there," he greeted. "So, you're Gohan's friends, huh? Nice to meet you."

Erasa was the first who was able to react. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Son."

Goku snorted. "Call me Goku, just Goku. I ain't that formal."

Videl blinked in surprise, but then she smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Mis—I mean, Goku," she corrected herself. She was kind of having a hard time just calling Gohan's father Goku outside her head. He was the World Martial Arts Champion and Earth's Hero just before her father! The youngest finalist _and_ the youngest Champion! While it was true she had mostly heard put-downs about Goku (mostly from her father), she still believed he was a Martial Arts prodigy. "I've heard a lot about you."

Sharpner nodded. "Me too. I've always liked Martial Arts. I've admired you a lot when I was little," he admitted, kind of sheepishly.

"Woah, didn't think I was that well-known." Goku smiled. He had to admit, it was nice to know there were other people other than his sons and (some of) his friends who admired him. "So, I see you've already met Goten and Chimaki. Let's go into the house. Do you guys need help with your bags or anythin'?"

Videl smiled. She was beginning to like Gohan's father. He seemed nice, yet powerful at the same time. He definitely was a Martial Arts Legend. "No thanks. We'll handle it."

Goku nodded. "If you say so." He smiled. "Gohan, why don't you show 'em the house an' where they'll be stayin'? I'll go tell your mother they're here."

"Sure, Dad," Gohan replied. He turned to his friends with a smile. He suddenly was not as nervous as he was before, but he still somewhat worried. "Let's go."

Sharpner, Erasa and Videl nodded, grabbed their bags, and followed Gohan into the house. Videl looked around. There were in a living room. It was nowhere near as big as any of the living rooms she had at her home. This one had framed pictures on the tables around the room, the mantel of the fireplace and some hung on the wall. They were pictures of the Son family together, or with other people too. She recognized Krillin and his family from some pictures. She smiled at the living room. It was definably not like the living rooms of her home. The Sons' living room was personal, cozy, and she liked it.

"Alright, first let's get your stuff in the rooms and then I'll show you the house in more detail," Gohan said. "We only have one guest room, so I figured Erasa and Videl would sleep there and Sharpner would sleep on my room. Unless you guys all want to sleep on the same room, or Sharpner on the guest room and Erasa and Videl in Chimaki's room."

"I think the first option's the best," Videl said. "There's no way in hell I'm sharing a room with Sharpner, and I don't want to bother your sister."

"It doesn't matter to you, Sharpner?" Gohan asked.

"Nah, it's cool," Sharpner replied.

Gohan smiled. "'Kay then. It's settled."

Gohan led them to the stairway. They all followed him to the second floor. There was a hallway with seven doors: three on one side of the hallway, three on the other side and one on the end. He walked to the first door on the right side of the hallway and opened it. "This is the guest room. You two get comfortable here. I'll show Sharpner my room."

"Okay!" Erasa said cheerfully.

Videl glanced around the room. It was not a big room. It only had a small closet, a nightstand, a little table with a chair, and one bed. The bed was big enough for both, her and Erasa to sleep there, so there was no problem. Both, she and Erasa got their bags on the table. "I like it here so far," Erasa commented. "Gohan's house seems nice, and his family seems cool too!"

Videl nodded. "Yeah. It's a nice house." _'It's really small compared to mine, but I like it.'_ "Let's go with the boys."

Just as Erasa and Videl got out from the guest room, Gohan and Sharpner walked out from the last door at the left side of the hallway. Videl then realized that must be Gohan's room. "All right, I guess I'll have to show you my house, huh?" Gohan said. "Alright. We'll begin here. You already know the guest room. Here," he walked towards the door he and Sharpner came from and opened it, "is my room." Videl and Erasa looked at it curiously since they hadn't seen it. The walls were blue; there was a bed with blue covers, a closet, a shelf full of books, a nightstand, a table with a computer on it, a chair, and a blue carpet. His room was tiny compared to hers, but Videl liked his room nevertheless.

He closed the door of his room. "That room," he walked to the room that was across the hallway, "is Chimaki's room." He opened the door. Chimaki's room similar to Gohan's with the difference that instead of blue, it was purple. Also, in her room there were tons of paint, markers, pencils, as well as drawings. Videl guessed Gohan's sister liked to draw a lot.

"This room is my parents' room," Gohan said, opening the door that was at the very end of the hallway, between Gohan and Chimaki's rooms. It was a nice room with a queen sized bed, two nightstands, a TV, two carpets in either side of the bed, a closet, and a door which was probably the bathroom. He closed the door of the bedroom.

"That room," walked at the door that was across the guest room, "is Goten's room." He opened the door and the three human teenagers looked at the room. Once again, it was similar to Gohan's and Chimaki's rooms, but this time main color was green, and it was full of toys. Videl could have guessed this was Goten's room only by seeing the toys that were spread all over the room.

"And those are the rooms," Gohan said. "Those two doors," he pointed at the door between Gohan and Goten's room and the one between Chimaki's and the guest room, "are the bathrooms. Sharpner can use mine and Goten's. Erasa and Videl can use Chimaki's. She doesn't mind." After showing them the bathrooms, Gohan led his three friends down the stairs and back to the living room. "This is the living room." He walked to the back of the living room where there were two doors. "This," he opened the door that was more to the right, "is a bathroom. And this," he opened the door that was more to the left, "is our… um… I guess you could call it our TV and Gaming room." Videl, Erasa and Sharpner glanced around curiously. There was a huge TV, a couch big enough for the whole family to fit in, as well as a console and some few games.

"And the only thing that's left is the kitchen," Gohan said. "Mom's there, so you can meet her too."

Videl felt her breath go away. _'I'll meet Chi-Chi now! Right now!'_ She could not believe it. She was _so_ excited! What could she say? She had been thinking about what to say to Goku and Chi-Chi before coming here. She had wanted to say a lot of things, but the moment she met Goku, she forgot everything. She could only say, 'I've hear a lot about you', when she had wanted to say so much more! She didn't even know what she could say to Chi-Chi now.

Gohan walked back to the living room and then to a door that was on their left, with Videl, Erasa and Sharpner following. "And this is the kitchen."

Videl blinked. The kitchen was awfully big. It also had a table big enough for around eight people to sit in the middle. Then she remembered Gohan's appetite. _'Everyone in this family must eat like him,'_ she guessed. _'That might be why they have such a large kitchen.'_ She looked around some more until she saw Gohan speaking Goku and a woman that was standing beside him, probably telling them their names.

The world froze.

Meeting the former Champ was an incredible experience, but meeting the woman that had inspired her to become the strongest female fighter was even more so!

"Hello there," Chi-Chi greeted with a smile. "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but since Gohan was giving you that little tour I figured I'd wait until you finished. My name is Chi-Chi. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too," Erasa and Sharpner greeted respectfully.

Videl still could not believe it was happening. She was meeting her idol! Was she dreaming? "Ni…Nice to meet you too, Chi-Chi! It's an honor!"

Gohan, Sharpner and Erasa glanced at Videl, surprised. She seemed somewhat nervous and excited too. But why? _'Does she know my Mom from somewhere?'_

Chi-Chi laughed a little. "Okay, I think 'honor' is too much. I'm not such a star."

"Are you kidding?" Videl asked. "You were the strongest woman to ever participate the World Martial Arts Championship! How can you not be a star?"

That's was when Gohan remembered his mother had also been a finalist of the World Martial Arts Tournament. _'Maybe she knows her from the Tournament she participated. Still, why is she so excited? Mom didn't even make it past the quarter finals. You'd think she'd be more excited about meeting my Dad other than my Mom.'_

Erasa and Sharpner were amazed. "Seriously?" Sharpner asked. He remembered he read somewhere than Goku and his wife had fought on the 23rd WMAT, but it was still amazing. In all honestly, she didn't seem like much of a fighter. She seemed more of a housewife.

"Yes," Chi-Chi said. "Don't underestimate me. I know I don't look like a fighter, but believe me, I am pretty sure I can beat you in a fight!"

Sharpner looked incredulous, and maybe a little offended. Gohan chuckled a little. "I don't doubt that. Mom's strong, Sharpner. I know it by a fact. You wouldn't want to fight her."

Chi-Chi shook her head. Part of her wanted to prove herself and punch the blonde teenager but she stopped herself. "Well, anyways, what are you going to do now?" she asked curiously.

"I was thinking of showing them around before dinner," Gohan said. "Maybe Goten and Chimaki can come along too."

"You mean, showing us the forest?" Erasa asked. At Gohan's nod, she became worried. "Is it safe?"

"Yep," Gohan said. "I've lived here my whole life, and nothing's has happened to me. We're probably the most dangerous thing around these lands, so there's nothing to worry about."

Sharpner was not going to back down. He didn't mind having a little exercise before dinner. "Sounds like a plan."

"Great!" Gohan said. "Maybe Goten and Chimaki can come along too."

Videl was really curious about this place and Gohan's family as well. Maybe by hiking around she would learn more about the Sons, other than the fact they were fighters and had tails (she noticed the furry belt on Goku, Goten and Chimaki too). She couldn't wait to find out more.

Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow. "But don't you need to study?"

"We can study after dinner," Gohan said quickly.

"Fine, you win," Chi-Chi said. "Take care of yourselves. Oh, and if you don't come back before dinner, I'll get Goku to get you, okay?"

Gohan nodded. "Thanks, Mom." He looked at his friends. "Let's go get my siblings and go for a hike."

Chi-Chi and Goku watched Gohan, Erasa, Videl and Sharpner leave. Chi-Chi was a little worried. She was not worried for her children, since she knew they could take care of themselves. She was more worried about the city kids. She was not sure if they could handle being in Mount Paozu for a whole weekend in a house with one human, one Saiyan, and three half-breeds. "Do you think they'll make it, you know, sane?" she asked her husband, half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"Yeah, they'll manage," Goku replied, grinning. "It's not like Cell or Frieza will appear and they'll have to stand there and watch us fighting them. We're not exactly normal, but everyone's different, right? They'll be just fine."


	17. An Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally halfway to catching up where we at in FF.net! XD Thanks for everyone who has kept reading. :)

Videl looked around in wonder as they walked through the dense forest. There were birds flying around, beautiful flowers, insects, and other animals that walked around. It was amazing. She had gone to the zoo a lot of times and had seen a lot of animals, but it just did not compare to what she was seeing now. Still, she did not know if it was such a great idea to go so far into the forest. After all, there must be a lot of danger around. And even if she, Gohan, and Sharpner were strong enough to take care of themselves, it was still very dangerous. Not to mention Erasa was not a fighter, and there was a 12-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy with them. "Is it a good idea to go this far into the forest?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Me and my family always go much farther than this, and we've always been fine. Isn't that right, guys?"

"Yup!" Goten exclaimed, grinning. Erasa could not help but 'aw' at his cuteness.

"It is," Chimaki replied with a smile. "I'm pretty sure we're the most dangerous thing around here."

"Really?" Sharpner asked, incredulously. _'I know she's Son Goku's daughter, but she's a kid! Besides, this must be full of wild animals. I don't know if we can fight those. Maybe Videl can. Gohan too, since he's also a former Champ's son, but what about us?'_

"This is kind of scary," Erasa commented, her blue eyes glancing around everywhere. "I've never been in a forest before."

"It'll be fine," Gohan insisted. "As long as we don't mess with the animals that live here, we'll be just fine."

But, unknown to Gohan and the others, there were some pairs of eyes watching their every move. Two little figures in the trees followed them everywhere. The two little figures locked eyes and nodded. They needed to tell their prince about this. Quickly, they went back to where they knew their leader was waiting, their fur seeming golden in the rays of the sun.

Gohan, Videl, Erasa, Sharpner, Goten and Chimaki kept walking around the forest. The three Son siblings were showing the three city kids a very rare flower that used insects as food. "And when an insect stands in it, its petals surround him and he's done for. The poor insect ends up being food. Look at this." Gohan grabbed a stick that was on the ground and knelt beside the flower. He touched it with the stick, and the flower's beautiful blue petals suddenly turned black as they contracted themselves to kill what the flower believed it was food.

"Wow," Erasa muttered, amazed. "That's so cool!"

Sharpner was amazed as well. But, suddenly, he saw something. Like a little shadow of anything. He became curious and decided to walk near the shadow. But it just moved farther and farther away from him. He frowned. He wanted to know what it was. _'I'll find out what is that thing.'_ He pursued the little shadow. He thought of his friends, and the possibility of getting lost, but then he shrugged. He was confident he would find his way back. After all, he has been walking to the same direction the whole time. _'Besides, I can take care of myself.'_

He halted when he arrived to a particular tall tree, and saw many pairs of eyes looking evilly at him. "Crap…"

"Hey, where's Sharpner?" Erasa asked.

"Um, wasn't he here with us?" Goten asked, blinking innocently.

"He was," Chimaki said. "But… not anymore."

Gohan sighed. "Great." _'Where did he ran off to?'_

"Oh no." Erasa became worried. "What if he got lost?"

Gohan searched for Sharpner's Ki. It was not as high as his family or his friends' Kis, but it was at least noticeable. _'Well, he isn't too far away.'_ "I have a hunch he went this direction," he said, pointing to the direction he sensed the blonde boy.

Videl raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

Gohan shrugged. "Just a hunch."

"But what if you're wrong?" the daughter of Hercule inquired.

"Well—"

"OH GOD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GET THE HELL OFF OF ME, YOU LITTLE BASTARDS! GET OFF!"

Everyone blinked. "That's Sharpner's voice, alright."

"And it happens to come from the same direction Gohan said he was," Chimaki replied, grinning. Her brother told her Videl was Mister Satan's daughter, and as much as she tried not to think of Videl as a bad person because of her father, she still could not help but enjoy how they were proving she could not always be right. After all, being the daughter of that phony may have affected her mind. She really pitied the girl. She was living a lie.

Videl was amazed, and also kind of mad he was right. She hated it when she was wrong. "Whatever. Let's just go look for him."

The group walked through the same path Sharpner passed. When they arrived, they were all surprised to see Sharpner, the school jock, an athlete, a fighter, being tied up with vines on a tree!

"Sharpner!" Erasa exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"How did you get tied up?" Gohan asked, bewildered. He had never known of anyone getting tied up randomly. There were no any people around for miles. He could not sense any enemy's Ki. How did that happen?

"Squirrels…" Sharpner whispered.

"Squirrels?" Gohan asked.

_'Some squirrels tied him up?'_ Videl could not believe it. _'Is he lying?'_ But she knew Sharpner would not lie about something like that. He was an idiot, but not _that_ much.

"Let's… just untie him," Gohan said. The others nodded in agreement. Just as they were about to untie Sharpner, a nut dropped to the ground. Everyone slowly looked up, and they all froze. They were surrounded by squirrels armed with nuts and acorns! Not to mention, their fur looked golden in the sunlight. It was like they were transformed in the Super Saiyan version of squirrels!

_'This… is not real!'_ Videl screamed in her mind.

"Well, look at that," Chimaki said, casually. "We're surrounded by armed squirrels." She looked at the city kids. "Betcha have never been in a situation like this."

"I've been surrounded by armed criminals, but not squirrels!" Videl replied. _'How can she be so casual about this?'_

"Really?" Chimaki asked. Since Videl was Mr. Satan's daughter, she figured she had never fought for her life. After all, the so-called Hero of Earth had a pleasurable, first class life that even the Gods would envy, and his daughter was no different. "Were you kidnapped or something?"

"No!" Videl was offended a girl younger than her would think that about the daughter of the Champion! "I help the police fight criminals."

Chimaki's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that in the least. _'She actually does something to help people, unlike her father!'_ "That's cool."

"They kinda look like Super Saiyans," Goten commented, looking at the squirrel's golden fur.

"Super what?" Erasa asked, confused.

"Uh… super… super flames an' stuff!" Gohan said quickly. _'Damn it, Goten!'_ But neither he nor Chimaki could deny the fact the squirrels really looked like Super Saiyans with that golden fur of theirs shinning in the sunlight. It was pretty amazing. It was almost unbelievable for the Son siblings, and that was saying something considering all they have seen in their lives.

"Um…Sorry to interrupt, but, mind untying me?!" Sharpner bellowed. "I am kinda stuck!"

"Oh, right." Chimaki grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

As they were untying Sharpner, Gohan looked at them, seriously. "Guys, don't make sudden movements, or—"

"FINALLY FREE!" Sharpner practically jumped away from the tree.

This made the squirrels go into alert, and a onslaught of nuts rain down on them. They all screamed as they ran away. "—or it'll make the squirrels go in alert and attack us with their nuts!" Gohan finished his sentence as they ran. Everyone glared at Sharpner.

"Well, gee, excuse me! I didn't know!" Sharpner defended himself as they kept on running.

* * *

"They have run away," a squirrel muttered, talking in squirrel's language.

"Damn it," a short, scowling squirrel cursed. "They have managed to escape! Those fools! After they destroyed our tree, not once, but twice, in their stupid sparring matches, they still manage to escape!" He growled. "I thought that kidnapping a random innocent bystander would do the trick, but they have still managed to escape us. But it will not last long. They will not escape the Prince of all Squirrels!"

"But, Prince," the first one began, "why don't we forgive them? Sure, they destroyed our tree, but it was not in purpose. They deserve another chance! We can be friends with them, and we'll all be happy!"

The Prince's eye twitched at the other's squirrel optimism. "We will not, you fool!" he bellowed. "I can't believe you're so soft! They are our enemies! We can't show _them_ mercy! I will defeat them!"

"I don't think you can," the squirrel admitted. "You're still weaker than me, and those guys are much stronger than me. But it's also very exciting!"

The Prince's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You may be the strongest now, but I will rise to become the strongest squirrel in the universe! And when I do, no-one will defeat me! I will be immortal!" The Prince's companion just rolled his eyes.

* * *

"I don't know if this is safe anymore," Erasa said nervously. "I mean, Sharpner was kidnapped by a bunch of squirrels." As ridiculous as it sounded, it was true.

"Nah, it'll be okay," Chimaki said. "They were just some bunch of squirrels. No biggie!"

"No biggie?" Videl repeated. "You're kidding, right? Squirrels don't kidnap people!"

"Maybe they do," Chimaki said with a grin. "Maybe you just don't know." _'Like a lot of other things, like for example the truth of the Cell Games.'_

"People would know if squirrels kidnapped them!" Videl argued. _'What's wrong with these people?'_ Videl was starting to realize Gohan was not the only weird one from his family. They were all bizarre.

"I don't know. I just know I was just held hostage by some squirrels," Sharpner said, shock evident in his voice. He  
was having a _very_ hard time believing what had just happened. He wanted to believe he was dreaming, but he had already pinched himself and it hurt. So, where Gohan, the class genius, lived there were evil squirrels that kidnapped people? Sharpner really doubted his sanity at the moment. Kidnapped by some squirrels!

"We should go somewhere else," Gohan said.

"Are we gonna continue the hike?" Goten asked. "I wanna continue it!"

"Well…" _'I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Sharpner was just held hostage by some squirrels. I don't remember them taking anyone hostage before. Not to mention him, Erasa and Videl seem shocked by this. I don't blame them. I don't think they're used to things like this. I wouldn't mind continuing our hike, Goten wants to and Chimaki wouldn't mind either. It's the others I'm worried about. So much for this being a normal hike.'_ "What do you guys think?"

"Well…" Erasa was worried of what would happen next. If some squirrels held one of them hostage, what else could happen? "I don't know. If you want to keep going I'll come with you. But I wouldn't mind going back to your home…"

"Normally, I would want to continue. But I just got kidnapped by… by _squirrels._ " It freaked Sharpner out every time he thought about it. He never thought he would be taken hostage in the first place, but being taken hostage by squirrels was where he drew the line. "I'm kinda freaked out."

"But if you would have stayed with us instead of going away on your own, you would have never been taken hostage in the first place!" Chimaki argued. "We've been living here our whole lives and nothing has ever happened to us! If you stick with us, and do not go on your own, nothing will happen to you!"

Videl was not sure if continuing the hike was the safest idea ever, but she was Satan Videl and she always risked her life. How would this be different? She wanted to know what else they could find on these woods. Curiosity got the best of her. "I want to continue. I mean, the squirrel thing was… weird… but, still this place is really pretty. I wouldn't mind walking around more." _'And learning more about Gohan and his family too.'_

"Let's do this," Gohan began. "We'll continue our hike, but no-one gets separated, okay? You get separated; you might as well end up being held hostage again, and not necessarily by squirrels. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. "Now let's go!"

And thus, their hike continued without any other incident. Sharpner made absolutely sure not to get separated from the group ever again. Gohan, Goten and Chimaki kept showing them around. Sharpner, Videl and Erasa were so amazed by the scenery they just managed to forget the squirrel incident for a while. The group kept on walking until they heard a loud roar.

"What was that?!" Erasa asked in fear.

"That? Oh, I think it was just a dinosaur," Gohan replied casually.

"WHAT!?" Sharpner, Erasa and Videl cried.

"A dinosaur?!" Videl asked.

The Son siblings nodded their heads.

"And you talk so casually about it?" Sharpner questioned.

"Uh, yeah," Chimaki replied.

"I like dinosaurs. They're fun," Goten said.

"I don't think they would be fun if you ever meet them in person," Erasa said. "They may eat you. It'd be scary."

"That's too bad," Chimaki said.

"Why?" Videl asked.

"Because there's one standing right there," Gohan said, pointing at the giant T-Rex that was standing right beside them.

Videl, Erasa and Sharpner all turned and screamed when seeing the dinosaur. "Don't scream! Or it will attack us!" Gohan exclaimed. Everyone kept quiet after that, though they were still pretty much trembling.

"Is that thing tame?" Sharpner asked kind of scared. The dinosaur growled at Sharpner.

"I don't think so," Goten stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "He just said, 'I will trample you to death, you silly, incompetent fool.'"

Videl, Erasa and Sharpner stared at Goten like he had grown ten heads. "Are you joking?" Sharpner asked.

_'He is seven, there's no way that little kid is telling the truth!'_ But Videl somehow knew Goten wasn't lying. _'Who are these guys?'_

"All right…" Gohan began. "Let's leave the T-Rex alone before he wants to eat us. There's still other places we have to visit." Videl, Erasa and Sharpner nodded dumbly and followed Gohan. Chimaki followed them with a grin. Goten waved at the T-Rex before running after the group. The T-Rex looked at the group. He wanted to eat one of them—they seemed so tasty!—but he knew better than to mess with the Sons. His cousin had lost quite a lot of his tail all those years ago thanks to that teenager that was leading the team. He didn't want to lose his tail, so he would just look for food somewhere else. At least, the young little demon didn't decide to use him as a horse again.

While they were walking towards a rocky area, Sharpner began analyzing the whole hike and what he had learned. "Alright, so you live in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a forest with insect-eating flowers, evil shining squirrels, T-Rexs, and who knows what else." It sounded crazy to Sharpner, but he had seen it all by himself. He was honestly doubting his sanity at the moment. "Anything else?"

"Well—" Gohan was interrupted by a sudden quake. He looked up the mountain they were on and sighed. "Fantastic." The others looked as well only to see an avalanche descends right on them.

"Oh, look, an avalanche," Chimaki said casually.

"Shouldn't we be running for our lives?" Videl asked.

"I guess," Gohan said calmly.

"We should," Erasa confirmed.

"Okay," Sharpner said. "And let's scream like little girls while doing it."

It was meant to be a joke, but did exactly that.

* * *

Goku smiled as he opened the door. He couldn't help but raise and eyebrow at the city kids. They were dirty, tired, seemingly traumatizied. Goku guessed they just found out how living in the wilderness was. "Hey, you came somewhat early. How was the hike?"

Before Videl, Erasa and Sharpner could complain, tell and question everything that happened, Goten jumped into his father's arms and beat them to it. "It was really fun, Daddy! We walked around the forest, and Gohan's friend Sharpener—"

"Sharpner," Sharpner muttered.

"—was held hostage by some Super Saiyan squirrels. Then we continued and met a T-Rex! Oh, and then we got caught in avalanche and ran all the way from that mountain to here!" Goten finished in excitement. Videl, Erasa and Sharpner kind of expected him to freak out, or be worried, or something. But they certainly weren't expecting him to laugh!

"Oh, really?" Goku chuckled. "Well, how 'bout that? Nice hike, huh? Did you have fun?"

"Fun?" Videl asked, dumbfounded.

"I was held hostage by squirrels," Sharpner said, embarrassed. "How could that be fun?"

Goku shrugged. "Well, I dunno. It may have not been like any hike you would've expected, but you're still alive, right? Think of it as an adventure."

"An adventure?" Videl, Erasa and Sharpner chorused.

Goku smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I know you haven't been exposed to stuff like this since you live in the city. But you're not in the city now. You're not in a farm either. You're in Mount Paozu, a place that is known for being dangerous. Things like this are usual here. You'll get used to it." He smiled. "This will be your adventure. Like those in TV. I know you came to study an' all, but hey, relax, lighten up and have fun!"

Videl was amazed by that speech. It was simple, nice, but had a meaning. At least to her. She then remembered what Gohan had told her, Erasa and Sharpner about his father in school the day they found out he was Son Goku's son. She didn't know the man much, but she was slowly realizing everything Gohan said was true.

"Goku, they're back?" Chi-Chi asked, walking out of the kitchen. "Oh, they are." She smiled. "Good timing. Dinner is ready. Go get washed up and then come eat."

Gohan nodded. "Okay, Mom." He turned to his friends and his siblings. "Let's go."

After washing up and coming back into the kitchen, Videl, Erasa and Sharpner could only stare in shock at the giant pile of food in front of them. It all looked delicious, and there was so much food! They couldn't believe it. They guessed since Gohan ate a lot (literally a lot), they had expected his family to eat much too. But they hadn't expected so much food!

Chi-Chi chuckled at the teen's surprised faces. She knew what they were thinking. She had been in that position before. "Come on, let's sit and eat."

Videl was amazed at how Gohan, Goten, Goku, and Chimaki ate. She couldn't even see their hands! They were just blurs as they quickly ate everything in front of them. She had seen Gohan eat, but it was different seeing him eating alone than him along three others eating the same way. She glanced at Chi-Chi, who was just eating like that was the most normal thing in the world. Videl guessed that, for her, it was.

And she believed her father ate too much.

Surprisingly, there hadn't been a thing left at the table. They had eaten it all. And by just looking at Erasa and Sharpner's faces, Videl knew they were as surprised as her. Sure, Chi-Chi's food was delicious—the best one she had ever tasted in her life—but was it really so great they could eat so much of it? Or were they like that any type of food? There was a part of her that believed the latter was the correct answer, but it was still unbelievable. Once again a question she had asked herself quite a lot these last few hours came flying into her mind again. _'Who are these people?'_

"All right, I guess it's time to wash the dishes," Chi-Chi said, standing up. In an instant the whole family was up, helping her somehow. Taking the dishes to the sink, drying them, placing then were they belonged. Videl found herself helping along Erasa and Sharpner. It was amazing. She had never done these housework things because she never had the need to. She and her father had servants in her house that did everything for them, so she never had to help. But, oddly, it wasn't that bad to help. Gohan's family was nice and fun. Oh, they were all weirdoes, there was no doubt. But she liked them. She liked how they made them feel somewhat part of their family, at least in welcome.

They talked about things, but they didn't left them out. They talked about the old Tournaments, and about Martial Arts. They talked about the Sons' lives here. They won money thanks to their gardening and the fishes they caught. Apparently, the fishes were huge and very valuable. It was a good income for them. They weren't rich, true, but it was enough for all of them.

Videl couldn't help but notice something peculiar in this family. She being a fighter could tell. They were all fighters.

They were all warriors.

Every single one of that family. They were all warriors. Even the seven-year-old Goten and the twelve-year-old Chimaki were warriors. She knew. She could tell. She was a fighter herself. She could see it in their movements. They were agile. They were strong. It should not be a surprise. After all, Son Goku was a former World Martial Arts Champion, Chi-Chi was a former World Martial Arts Tournament finalist, and Gohan, Chimaki and Goten were their children. And they were all powerful. She had seen Goku and Chi-Chi fight in videos. She had seen Gohan fight right in front on her. She had not seen Goten and Chimaki fight yet, but she could tell those kids were fighters too.

It was amazing to her. Not one, or two, or three members of this family were fighters—but all five of them! True, her family was also full of fighters. But her family was her and her father. This family, though, were a husband, a wife, two boys and one girl. Five members and they all fought. Being a fighter herself, and having liked her whole life martial arts, she wanted to see these prodigies fight. Hopefully, she would. She hoped seeing the former Champion fight. She really did. Watch him, and Chi-Chi too, and all of those martial artists who were family friends. She wanted to witness them fight. If Gohan was so strong, then his father must be even stronger! Seeing him fight would be amazing.

After all, if anyone could beat her father, it was him.

It would be quite a battle if they fought. She could only imagine it.

Champion v/s Champion.

Hercule Satan v/s Son Goku.

It would be a great match. She knew it. She could imagine it! Her father would probably win. He was the hero who beat Cell and the wizard that created Majin Buu! There was no possible way he'd lose! Even against a former World Champion—even against such a Martial Arts Legend like Son Goku!

_Right?_

After dinner, she and the others went to study Chemistry to Gohan's room. Videl had to admit: Gohan was quite the teacher. He wasn't like the teachers at school that talked with their own advanced vocabulary and weird words. Gohan actually talked _normal_ —like any other teenager would, with typical teenager words, and a normal speech. Kind of country bumpkin- _ish_ , but that wasn't a problem. Videl knew he couldn't help it. After all, he lived in the woods. In fact, it gave his speech something more _stylish._

"You should be a teacher, Gohan," Videl commented suddenly.

Gohan blinked, and then grinned. "You think so?"

Erasa nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You're good explaining stuff like this. I'm actually understanding this!"

Sharpner chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, me too. And that's funny 'cause I swear I didn't understand anythin' of this shit before. Now I'm actually gettin' it."

Gohan laughed a little. "That's good. I may think about it." It wouldn't be bad being a teacher. He liked kids, and he didn't mind explaining stuff. He was a really smart boy. He could help others to learn. It didn't sound bad. Not at all. Besides, being a teacher wouldn't prevent him from being a fighter or continue being a member of the Earth's Special Forces. After all, he would still be able to train. _'It's not such a bad idea. I'll really consider it.'_

* * *

Videl lay on the bed she was given. Erasa was sleeping beside her. But unlike Erasa, she couldn't sleep. She was just thinking—thinking about everything that had happened today. It was so out of ordinary. Was this what Gohan was used to? No wonder he was different! But she still suspected about him, and about his family too. Even though it had been weird, she liked this experience. Goku had told them to think of this as an adventure. Usually, she would not think about everything that was happening as an adventure. But, there was something about the Sons' home—about Mount Paozu in general—that made her want to let all go. She could worry about discovering Gohan's secrets later. Besides, she just may discover something without trying just by being here the whole weekend!

For now, she would do what the former Champ, Son Goku, had said.

She would think of this trip as an adventure.

And so far she was liking it.


	18. Gaming Time!

Goku and Chi-Chi were happily asleep on their shared bed. It was Saturday, so they usually slept a little more than usual. They suspected it was the same for the city teens they had at their home, so there was no problem. Besides, it was their home, and they had their rules. But the couple's slumber was suddenly interrupted when a little energetic tyke jumped on their bed. It did not even startle them—they knew who it was.

"Mornin'!" the little attacker greeted cheerfully, grinning widely. Chi-Chi really wondered from where the little guy got all that energy. It was endless.

"Good morning, Goten," she greeted, smiling adoringly at her youngest son.

"Mornin', kiddo," Goku replied sleepily. He sat on the bed and stretched, only to fall back onto the bed again, head hitting the pillow, his eyes closing.

"Aww, don't fall asleep again, Daddy!" the little seven-year-old said as he shook his father's arm.

"I won't," Goku said with a small grin. "It's impossible to sleep when you're around. Why did you come here, by the way?"

Goten grinned widely. "Well, I was bored. I wanted to wake Big Brother up but then I remembered he had his weird friends here. I wasn't sure if I shoulda wake Big Sis, 'cause she gets mad when I wake her up early. So, I just came here to be with you guys!"

"Oh. Cool. Stay with us then," Goku said, tucking Goten between him and Chi-Chi.

"Yay!" Goten cheered and his parents smiled at him. "Can we play together later, Daddy?"

"Sure, son," Goku said. "But we can't use our powers yet."

Goten pouted. "I still don't understand why we can't use 'em."

"We've already told you, Goten," Chi-Chi said with a frown. "Gohan's friends don't know the truth. They believe in Mr. Satan and that Ki is a trick. We can't use it in front of them. It would freak them out and we don't want that."

"Okay…" Goten sighed.

"Hey, buddy, cheer up! That doesn't mean we can't have fun ourselves!" Goku said, trying to cheer his son up. "Tell you what; I'll play with you some videogames later. How's that?"

"Really?!" Goten asked in excitement. He grinned widely when his father nodded with a smile. "Yay!"

* * *

Videl woke up and blinked. She had a dream of going to Gohan's house, meeting Son Goku and Chi-Chi, going on a freak hike with Gohan and his siblings, and then studying a bit. For the first few seconds she was convinced it was just a dream, but she began coming back into reality when she realized she wasn't in her room. _'This isn't my home…'_ She glanced around the room and noticed Erasa was sleeping beside her. Then she immediately remembered where she was. _'Oh, right, this is Gohan's home.'_

Erasa was still sleeping, and she didn't feel like getting up just yet so she stayed in bed for a little. She stared up at the roof while she thought about her situation. Okay, so she was at Gohan's home, in the middle of nowhere, definitely not in the city, under the same roof than the former World Champion and his family. In her mind, it was still insane. But she knew it was true, and it was really happening. It was amazing. So far she liked this so-called adventure she and her friends were having. She wondered what did the Sons got planned for them today. Whatever it was, Videl was sure it would be new and exciting!

* * *

Gohan yawned and stretched. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes while glancing at the alarm clock. He wanted to go back to sleep. He was about to, but then he remembered there was supposed to be someone else in his room. He blinked when sensing said person's Ki not too far from him. He slowly turned around and he had to cover his mouth in order to stop himself from laughing out loud.

On the floor laid Sharpner, sleeping in the weirdest position Gohan had ever seen someone sleep in. And that was something amazing, considering Gohan had witnessed Goku, Krillin, Goten, Bulma, Vegeta, and pretty much every single member of the Earth's Special Forces sleep. Gohan chuckled at the thought and laid back into the covers. So far, the experience for the city kids wasn't so bad. Sure, there had been that hike, but Videl, Erasa and Sharpner had made it back alive and—at least they seemed to be—sane.

He was still wondering if it was even such a good idea to bring Videl, Erasa and Sharpner to his home. Hopefully, nothing would happen that would call their attention. No super enemy for the Z-Fighters to handle or anything like that. Come on! Even if there was one super enemy, it could wait until next weekend! It wouldn't be so hard for them, right? Surely they would understand that he had to take care of three city teenagers who knew nothing about the Earth's Special Forces and their 'ordinary' lives, wouldn't they?

_'Well, now I am being ridiculous. Kind of like Krillin, actually.'_ Krillin was the one who made the jokes about their enemies, and sometimes Yamcha joined in. They would complain about their enemies' bad timing. It was not weird that they had to reject an awesome offer due to some evil force trying to do something evil. Gohan did not particularly enjoy risking his life. He would much rather have a friendly spar with someone than be on a battle to the death. But he had to admit it was fun fighting alongside his friends. They all knew each other, and it was usual to them to defend Earth and the universe as well.

Even Goten and Chimaki got dragged along the craziness that was their battles. Not because anyone made them fight—they got involved on their own. He could understand his siblings. He had done the very same thing.

And talking about his siblings, Gohan sensed his little brother on the kitchen with his parents and began chuckling. The little demon had not been able to wake him up this time! Not to mention his mother was probably cooking breakfast and Gohan's stomach demanded to be fed.

"Ugh…" Sharpner yawned and stretched. Then he blinked when he noticed his position on the floor. "How did I end up like this?"

"That's a good question," Gohan commented in amusement. "I'm wondering that too."

"Ha. Ha." Sharpner mock glared at Gohan who only grinned at him in return. "So, did the girl wake up?"

"I have no idea," Gohan replied.

"We should go check out," Sharpner said.

"Uh… is that a good idea?" Gohan asked. "They might get mad. Imagine we end up in a… awkward situation."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sharpner admitted. "So, what do we do?"

"I'll get my sister," Gohan said. "She'll get Videl and Erasa, and then we can go eat breakfast."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Erasa had awakened for a while now, and she and Videl were gossiping about random things when they heard a knock at the door. They quickly turned around, believing it was one of the boys, but relaxed when noticing it was just Chimaki. "You thought I was Gohan or that blonde guy?" the half-breed Saiyan girl asked, as if reading the older girls' thoughts. Their reaction was pretty hilarious, and Chimaki was snickering thank to it.

"Yeah," Erasa admitted with a giggle.

"Hah. I see." Chimaki smiled. "Well, anyways, Mom is finishing cooking breakfast. Are you coming down now?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, we're going," Videl replied.

"Okay. My brothers and the other dude are down already. We're only waiting for you."

"Oh, we'll hurry up then!" Erasa exclaimed.

Videl and Erasa came to the kitchen along Chimaki and they all began eating breakfast. Once again, the city kids were amazed at the Saiyans and their stomachs. Videl wondered where they stored all that food they ate. She also wondered how Chi-Chi managed to cook so much in such little time. It was definitely amazing.

"Daddy, can we play now?" Goten asked. "You said you were gonna play videogames with me."

"You're playing videogames?" Chimaki asked. "I wanna join!"

Gohan wanted to join his father and siblings too. He loved videogames! But he was not sure if his friends would want to play with them. "Do you wanna join too, guys?"

Sharpner felt jealous of Goten at the moment. His father played videogames with him? That was so awesome! His father was awesome, too, but he never really had the time to play videogames with him. When he was little, he always tried his father to play videogames, but his father was either busy or tired. Not to mention his father didn't like videogames much. He had to admit he had not expected Gohan to have videogames, but he was a teenager just like himself. He had to like videogames! "I'm in. I love videogames."

"Me too!" Videl declared. She thought Goten was lucky his father would spend time with him like that. She also liked videogames, but she could never play with her father because he got either frustrated or too full of himself when playing videogames. It was kind of annoying. She preferred to play games alone, but there were some games that were simply just not fun when you played alone.

Erasa blinked. She was not into videogames much, but she had to admit she had fun when she played with her friends. She would not mind play with them either. It sounded like fun!

Chi-Chi smiled at them. "You can go, but first, can you please help me with the table, please? It's not fair you'll go have all the fun while I stay here, you know?"

"Do you wanna play too, Mommy?" Goten asked hopefully, looking at his mother with big, innocent eyes.

Chi-Chi smiled at her little boy. "Sure. But first we have to take care of the dishes."

"Okay!" Goten exclaimed and began helping immediately. Everyone else chuckled at the little boy's antics.

"Come on, let's help," Gohan said to his friends, who nodded with a smile on their faces and began to help.

After finishing with the dishes, everyone went to the famous TV and Gaming room to play some video games. "Alright! So, what are we playin'?" Goku asked.

"I have no idea," Chimaki said.

"Um…" Goten looked to all the games they had. His eyes lightened up when he saw a particular game. "I know! Let's play this!" He showed the game to the others.

"Super Smash Bros Brawl," Chi-Chi read with a sigh. "A fighting game? Really? Don't you get enough fighting in real life?"

"No!" all the Saiyans replied with a huge Son grin plastered on their faces.

Chi-Chi just sighed and shook her head. _'Saiyans.'_

Sharpner and Videl had huge grins in their faces too. They loved to fight, too, and besides, fighting games were awesome! Erasa didn't look that excited though. "Do we really have to play a fighting game?"

"Yeah!" Sharpner said.

"Aw," she whined.

"We can play another game later," Chimaki said. "But I am all up for fighting games now!"

"It'll be fun," Videl said. "You won't get bored."

Erasa sighed. "Fine."

"Okay, this game is up to four players and we're…" Gohan counted everyone in the room. "Eight. So, we'll have divided the thing in two."

Goku suddenly got an idea. "I know! Why don't we do some kind of tournament?" Goku was a super competitive man, so the idea of a gaming tournament was an exciting one. Even if it was outside fighting, it still gave him a challenge.

Chi-Chi smiled. "I like that idea."

"Me too," Videl said, the others nodding in agreement.

"So, how do we do this?" Gohan asked.

"Boys versus boys and girls versus girls!" Chimaki said. "The two best boys fight against the two best girls! Then we'll see who the champion is!"

"Sounds good to me," Sharpner said.

"Alright, so now who starts?" Erasa asked.

"Girls?" Chimaki asked hopefully.

"I'm up for that!" Videl said, agreeing with Chimaki. "Ladies go first, so yeah!"

"Aw, crap!" Sharpner muttered. "I was hoping to get a go first."

"Yeah…" Goten nodded, pouting.

"Ah, no worries," Goku laughed. "We'll get our turn soon enough."

The girls sat down on the couch. Gohan lied on his stomach on the floor. Sharpner sat on the floor and Goku sat on the floor too, leaning on the wall with Goten sitting in his lap.

"So, which characters we get to use?" Erasa asked.

Videl shrugged. "Anyone from this list."

"Shotgun, Kirby!" Chimaki yelled as she selected Kirby.

"I'll be Samus!" Videl grinned.

"I'll be... um…" Chi-Chi really didn't know the characters, so she didn't care much who she chose. She did recognize good old Mario though, so she decided to be him. "I'll be Mario. He's like one of the few characters I know."

Erasa had no idea who would she use. She didn't like fighting games or videogames in general so she wasn't sure. But she recognized Yoshi from Mario Bros and grinned. "I'll be Yoshi!"

"Right," Chimaki said. "So where we fight?"

"Why don't we use random?" Videl asked. "It'd be fairer."

"Okay!" Chimaki grinned, fire in her eyes. "Now let's start!"

The battle began, and the four women began to fight. Erasa and Chi-Chi had to figure out the controls first. It didn't take that long to Chi-Chi. She was a fighter that had to keep up with four Saiyans every single day! One little game was nothing! Erasa had more trouble getting used to the controls. She even once killed herself on the game accidentally when trying to beat Chimaki out of the map (which caused Sharpner to roar in laugher). The battle kept going. Erasa jumped in joy when she managed to kill Videl, only to die herself two seconds after. Chi-Chi was doing pretty well considering she barely played Super Smash Bros Brawl. She managed to kill Erasa (pretty much like everyone else), and she even managed to kill Videl two times and Chimaki one. That didn't mean she didn't get killed a lot of times. She did get the advantage the moment she managed to get a frying pan as her weapon, though (thankfully for Videl, Erasa and Chimaki) it didn't last long.

Videl had played this game before, so she was pretty good. But Chimaki, having usually played this with her brothers, was pretty good at the game. She managed to kill her mother, and even Videl quite a lot of times. Videl's eyes narrowed. She was not going to lose to a twelve year old girl! But Chimaki had other plans as she professionally managed to kick Videl's character out of the map again. Videl let out a scream of frustration and glanced at Chimaki. "You're good," she said.

"You are too," Chimaki said. Then she smirked. "But I ain't gonna loose!"

"Me neither!" Videl cried in determination.

Soon, the time ran out, and the fight ended. Erasa ended fourth. The blonde didn't even get upset. She just shrugged, having expected it. Chi-Chi came third, and she was pretty happy with the result. At least she wasn't last! Videl came second and Chimaki came first. Videl groaned in frustration. She was so confident she would win! "How are you so good?" she asked.

Chimaki shrugged. "I play a lot with my brothers, so I guess that's why I'm pretty good."

"I see." Videl was determined not to lose again. "Next time though, I'll win!"

Chimaki grinned. She was competitive like her father, and she liked a challenge. "I'd like to see you try!"

"So, Chimaki and Videl are in for the next round," Gohan said. "Now it's our turn!"

"All right! Finally!" Sharpner said, standing up quickly. "There's no way I'm gonna lose!"

"Well, I'm not losin' that easil!y" Goten said.

"Me neither!" Gohan said.

Goku chuckled. "I'll try not to lose."

The boys sat on the couch now. Gohan put the character select screen, and they began debating on whom they would chose. They had all played the game before so they knew the characters. "I'll be…" Gohan thought of the character he would like to use. "I'll be Luigi!" He grinned and selected Mario's green younger brother.

"I'll be…" Sharpner smirked. "Link!" He selected the character.

"I'll be Pikachu!" Goten yelled as he selected the yellow Pokémon.

"I…'ll be…" Goku didn't know much of the characters, but he had played Super Smash Bros Brawl with his children before so he did have an idea of whom he could choose. "I'll be this guy." He didn't recall how the character was called, but when he selected it, he read the name and remembered. "Sonic."

"So, random stage?" Gohan asked.

"Yup," Sharpner replied.

"Okay then," Gohan said. He selected the random stage, and the four characters appeared in Green Hill Zone of _Sonic the Hedgehog_. The song _His World_ played in the background.

"Aww, Dad! Look! We're fightin' in the same zone of your character!" Goten said.

"Really?" Goku blinked. He had no idea of that. "Nice. At least it's got good music," he laughed.

And so the battle began. They all had played the game before. Gohan and Goten loved the game, and they would usually play it with Chimaki and sometimes Trunks or Daikon. Goku had played the game too. Quite a lot if you thought about it. He had three children that always tried to get him play videogames with him. He had to admit they were pretty fun, although he much rather spend his time fighting. But he did love spending time with his children so he didn't mind playing with them. Sharpner loved fighting games, so he loved Super Smash Bros Brawl. He hadn't played in a while, but that was not going to stop him.

They battle was pretty matched up. Everyone killed everyone. They were all laughing while playing. Sharpner groaned in frustration when Goten managed to kill his character once again, while Erasa, Videl and Gohan snickered at the blonde teen. Goku had accidentally killed himself when he was not able to stop Sonic from running too far from the map, which made him crack up. When the Smash Ball appeared, there had been a crazy battle to get it. Goten managed to get it, making Pikachu turn into a huge ball of bolts. Everyone ended up either dead or hurt by the attack. The kept fighting until the time run out. They had been pretty equal so they didn't know who won.

Suddenly, Sonic and Link appeared on the screen, very damaged, and the narrator of the game said, "Sudden Death! Go!" Sharpner smirked, sure of himself. He ran immediately to kick Goku out of the stage. But his mouth hanged open and his eyes turned as wide as plates when Goku's Sonic jumped, evading the kick, and kicked Sharpner's Link out of the stage. It seemed like Goku still had his fighting reflexes even in gaming. It was impossible not to laugh at Sharpner's face.

The results showed up. Gohan came first with Goten second, Goku third and, of course, Sharpner fourth. The blonde teenager could not believe he had lost against Son Goku and his sons in Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Gohan grinned. "Now it's time for the final battle!" he joked.

"That's right, Brother!" Chimaki smirked. "This is gonna be so fun!"

"It will," Videl agreed.

"What are we waiting for? Let's start now!" Goten exclaimed.

They sat on the couch and selected their characters. They all ended up using the very same characters they were using before. The battle began, and they all began playing. They all wanted to win. They were all determined not to lose! They laughed whenever they got to kill someone, and grunted whenever someone killed them (unless the death was funny). Videl had to admit; the Son siblings were good. They were very good! She didn't know if she could win or not, but she was not giving up! She smirked when she was able to kill Gohan, who glared at her playfully. "That's how you like it, huh?" he asked. As soon as his character got back in the game, Gohan went to attack Videl and managed to kick her out of the stage.

"Oh, you are so not getting away with that!" Videl cried, more determined than ever.

The Smash Ball appeared, and it was a really crazy competition to get it. Goten almost got it, but Chimaki managed to beat him to it and get it herself. Her Kirby pretty much cooked everyone which caused everyone enough damage to die. Videl managed to kill her not long after that though. "I'll get you for that!" Chimaki screamed when Videl killed her.

Soon enough, the time ended and the battle was finished. They had all been pretty paired up. Videl managed to be second, just behind Gohan. Chimaki was third, and Goten was fourth. The seven year old fireball of a Saiyan was convinced he would have beaten his sister if he had been able to get the Smash Ball though.

"So, what do we play now?" Erasa asked.

"What about a racing game?" Sharpner suggested.

"Mario Kart!" Goten yelled and got the game.

They raced each other around 5 times on five different courses. It was hilarious. Everyone was able to reach first place at some point, even if they later lost the place. They all laughed while playing. Everyone fell off the road at some point, and they all cried out in victory whenever they managed to kill someone with the special power ups. They were all into the race and they all wanted to win. No one was going to lose, or at least no one wanted to. They all had to admit they were having a lot of fun racing together.

"Okay. Here's the deal. I know you don't like me, and I certainly don't like you. But I think we need to set aside our differences, and work this out together," Sharpner said. "Now, all you gotta to do for me is MAKE THIS FREAKIN' JUMP!" he screamed and growled angrily when he failed.

After Mario Kart, they decided to play Super Mario Bros. It was Sharpner's turn and he was having trouble with making a particular jump. He was losing his mind. He knew the flag was just the other side of the cliff yet he could not jump on it. The fact everyone else was laughing at his misfortune didn't make it any better. "I hate you, Mario," Sharpner mumbled. "I hate you so much."

"Hey, Sharpner," Gohan began.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Sharpner asked. He was not on his best mood because the fact he couldn't make the stupid jump really pissed him off.

"Nothing! Gee. I was just gonna ask you if we played something else. I mean, you're super frustrated now!" Gohan said.

Sharpner sighed. "Okay, fine. What else can we play?"

"Um…" Chimaki searched for a game they could play. "Guitar Hero?"

"OH! I know that game!" Erasa squealed. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Videl said.

"We're all in, I guess," Goku chuckled. He was actually having fun playing all these video games. Maybe he should play videogames with his children more often…

Chi-Chi hated to admit it, but she was having a lot of fun as well. "Let's do this!"

After getting bored of pressing bottoms and singing all the songs they game had, they decided to do something more moved. Somehow, they all ended up playing Just Dance.

"Come on, Gohan!" Sharpner snickered at the Saiyan boy who was currently dancing a duet along his sister. "What are those moves?"

"Shut up!" Gohan snapped. "I don't know how to dance!"

"This is super hard!" Chimaki added. "Who were the guys who came up with these dance moves?!"

"I don't know," Chi-Chi laughed. "Just concentrate on dancing, you two!"

"Sharpner!" Erasa whined as she and Sharpner danced. "Do the moves right!"

"I'm trying!" Sharpner replied as he struggled with the dance moves.

"See? It isn't easy!" Gohan grinned, sitting on the couch.

"I'm a fighter! Not a dancer! These moves are so difficult!" Videl cried as she danced. "And they're so weird too!"

"They're fun!" Goten said.

"But still weird!" Videl replied as she struggled to do the moves right.

Everyone ended up dancing. Even Goku and Chi-Chi ended up dancing once. Those who weren't dancing laughed at the one struggling to make the moves right. The only one that didn't have any troubles was Erasa, who seemed to be a pretty good dancer. But all in all, they all had loads of fun. Neither of them expected to have that much fun gaming!

"Alright, I think we're played enough for now," Chi-Chi said. "I mean, we should get dressed. We spent all morning playing videogames."

"We did?" Chimaki glanced at the clock. "Wow. Time passed so quickly I didn't realize how long we've been playin'."

"We better get ready to start our day," Goku said. "Or at least, start it with actual clothes on," he chuckled.

"Right!"

* * *

After everyone took a shower and got dressed, Gohan and his friends studied a little in his room. Erasa, Sharpner and Videl understood Chemistry much more than what they used to thanks to Gohan. Suddenly, the contents for the test were becoming much easier than before.

"Hey, guys," Chimaki began, opening the door. "Goten and I are gonna help Mom with cooking. Do you wanna help too?"

The teenagers looked at each other. "Should we?" Gohan asked.

_'If we help Chi-Chi with cooking, then I'll find out how she cooks enough for this family of black holes,'_ Videl thought and grinned. She wasn't investigating as much as she would have, but this time she had the chance to learn something more from Gohan and his family and she was not throwing that opportunity away. _'I might get some answers!'_ "Sure. I'd like to help!"

Gohan, Erasa and Sharpner stared at Videl oddly. She had hundreds of servants in that mansion of a house she lived in and there was no need for her to cook. She never seemed to have the desire to, anyways. Why would she want to cook now? Gohan kind of knew, though.

_'Maybe she wants to learn something else?'_ Erasa wondered. She shrugged and smiled. "I wanna help too!" Even if Videl had said no, she would've still wanted to help and she would have probably used her Puppy Dog's Eyes to get her best friend to say yes. She actually liked to cook. She thought it was fun!

Sharpner sighed. "It's not like I have any freakin' option. Come on, let's go cook!" He sighed again. "This is gonna be boring."

Gohan laughed. "Don't be so sure, Sharpner. Cooking with Mom can be an adventure."

"I bet it is," Videl said and smiled. _'I'll actually learn how to cook, AND I'll probably find out something about this family. This is great!'_

She could not wait to start cooking!


	19. Envy

Cooking with Chi-Chi was... an experience.

Gohan had said it was an adventure. Videl now understood why he had said that.

It seemed that everything with the Sons what some kind of adventure. They were definitely something else. Somehow they managed to make the most normal activities to become crazy, adventurous experiences.

No wonder why Gohan seemed to be so... awkward in high school. He was used to things being adventures. And high school—being an adventure itself—was not nearly as amazing as what the Sons called their 'ordinary lives'.

Videl had never cooked in her whole life, but she was aware the way the Sons cooked was not... _normal._ Hell, nothing about them was normal! Firstly, she didn't know _where_ the _hell_ they got _so_ much food! Like, seriously! Videl was convinced the Sons' refrigerator was much, _much_ bigger than what it seemed. There was tons of food inside of it! Tons! Videl didn't know what kind of refrigerator it was, but it was definitely a very good one.

The amount of food the Sons possessed was huge. Huge! She was aware the Sons ate a lot—literally, a LOT—but where did they get all that food? She had asked Chi-Chi how much did all the food cost. And the woman's reply had been:

_"How much it cost? Actually, not so much."_ Then she had snickered at Videl's expression before continuing. _"I know we have a lot of food, but we got most of it ourselves—with our own hands. We work on that, remember? It's no big deal. We do buy some things, but the fish, meat, fruit and vegetables are all ours. We don't need to buy them."_

That was true. They did say they worked on selling food like fishes, vegetables, fruits and even meat to the markets. And now that she thought about it, the Mount Paozu's products were very expensive and exclusive. Apparently, because they were just _so_ good. She couldn't argue—the food she had eaten here was amazing. They did have a good income. But, how did they do it? Did they actually hunt? Videl had seen the fruits and vegetables the Sons grew around their home, and she was aware they were surrounded by a huge forest that seemed to have a river. But, what techniques did they use to get the food? She was really curious about it.

"AAAAAH! OH GOD! OH GOD! IT BUUUUURNS!" Videl's thought were soon interrupted by Sharpner's scream. "AAAAGH! SO SPICY!"

"Spicy?" the others chorused.

"How can it be spicy?" Chimaki asked.

"This wasn't even supposed to be spicy," Gohan commented. Sharpner had been super proud because he had actually helped to cook a delicious looking chicken. He had tried to taste it, and the results weren't exactly good, it seemed.

Goten smiled sheepishly. "Uh, I may have... um... put some spicy sauce in it?" he said, unsurely, not knowing if it was a good idea to tell the truth and face the frying pan.

"What?" Chi-Chi turned to see her youngest son. "Why did you do that, Son Goten?"

Goten gulped. "I'm sorry! I thought it was Ketchup! But then I realized it was not, so I tried to remove it."

"You didn't remove it enough!" Sharpner cried. "My tongue is burning!"

"Sharpner! He's seven! Be nice!" Erasa scolded him. "He's just a kid!"

"How can I be nice?! My tongue is freakin' burning!" Sharpner argued. "I'll be nice once I get water!"

Goku chuckled slightly and gave the teenager a water glass. "Here."

After Sharpner had drunk like about ten water glasses, and Goten had apologized (his innocent eyes and cute apology made everyone, even Sharpner, forgive him the moment he said "I'm sorry") everyone continued cooking. Videl went back into her own thoughts. Gohan's little brother was so innocent it was cute, she had to admit it. Poor Sharpner though. Yeah, right! Videl snickered as the memory of him burning his tongue came into her mind. Poor guy—he had been so proud of his cooking skills. She could not blame him. She was actually cooking, for the first time in her life, and she was proud of it too!

The thoughts of Hercule's daughter went back into the Son family. She had to admit, even though they were _really_ weird, she liked them. She did. They were fun. They were fighters, too! And they didn't seem like ego-maniacs like her father. They were nice, and simple, and she liked that. For a moment—for a small moment—she envied Gohan for having such a cool family.

"You've never cooked before, have you?" Gohan asked curiously.

"No, not really," Videl replied. "I've never had the need to. Since, you know, we have chefs in our house that do that kind of stuff for us."

Gohan nodded. "That's the cool part of being rich, I guess." His family was not rich, but he knew rich people. The Briefs were one of the richest families in the world, his grandfather—the Ox-King—had a huge treasure and had his own little village, not to mention he had met Vegeta's parents—and they were the rulers of the Saiyans! He had also met others nobles and rich people from other planets, but it was not the same. Mr. Satan was not like the Briefs, Ox-King or the Saiyan Royal Family. He did not gain his money because he deserved it. The Briefs invented the Capsules and many other inventions that have helped the Z-Fighters and humanity in general. Ox-King worked hard to get his treasure and he also put a lot of effort in ruling his village. King Vegeta fought hard for his people in the Saiyan-Tuffle war, which made the Saiyans respect him enough to name him as their King.

What did Mister Satan do though? Oh, sure, he must've trained. He was indeed strong compared to an average human. Oh, sure, he did win the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament. But most of his money came from being the so-called 'Hero of Earth'. But was he the real Hero of Earth? No. Why? Well, let's see… Did he beat Cell? No. Did he beat Majin Buu? No. Did he actually beat any villain that was a threat to the Earth? No!

The title of Hero of Earth should go to his father. Gohan was convinced of it. His father had saved Earth countless of times ever since he was a child. And the title of Heroes of Earth should go to their little group of warriors. Gohan knew it. He was super sure of it! He didn't hate Mr. Satan, but he did think he was kind of an egomaniac and a jerk. Why wasn't he honest with people? It sucked that most of the population of Earth did not know the truth.

Gohan glanced at Videl, and felt guilt welling up in his chest. It sucked that he lied to the whole world, but it sucked all the more that he lied to his own daughter. How did he have the heart to do that? If Gohan was him, he would feel so incredibly guilty he would tell his daughter only moments after lying to her. He felt really sorry for Videl. One part of him wanted to tell her the truth—but the other part of him didn't want to, because it would destroy her whole world.

"I guess." Videl shrugged. "Even before Dad beat Cell, we were still well known. I'm used to it already. It's no biggie to me." A little silence between them. "I do like it here though."

"You do?" Gohan asked, surprised. Usually rich kids didn't like the countryside at all, as far as he knew.

"I do," Videl confirmed. "Call me crazy, but here, it feels…natural."

Gohan grinned. "I know."

"Yeah. I like my home. But, this place is amazing," Videl said. Her mansion was huge and she knew a lot of people would die for living in a house as big as hers. But, sometimes, it just got boring. It was a huge house, but she had no-one to entertain herself with. Her father was too busy being the World Champion, and the servants had to work around the house. Sometimes, she played with her father's puppy, Bee. But, Bee was usually with her father so she couldn't always play with him.

Bee was a cute dog, and Videl liked him a lot. Her father had brought him home after he defeated the evil wizard that controlled Majin Buu. He explained he had found it abandoned and felt sorry for the dog, so he decided to take him home. Videl didn't mind. She liked animals. They were cute. And Bee was definitely a cutie. She had to admit it. "My home gets boring sometimes. It's just me, my father and our servants. Oh, and we also have a puppy too."

"A puppy?" Gohan asked. Then, the memory of that cute little puppy that followed Mr. Satan around in the Buu incident came racing into his mind. The puppy was cute. He could still remember him. Carrying the unconscious Mr. Satan around was a pain, but they didn't mind the puppy. It was really cute and it didn't bother anyone. Not to mention Buu would never stop talking about the little puppy he had found along Hercule whenever you talked about pets on his presence. _'Could it be…?'_

"That's right." Videl nodded. "His name is Bee. My dad found it when he was off to fight Majin Buu and took him home."

_'Then it is Bee.'_ Gohan had forgotten the puppy's name, but now he remembered the amount of times Buu had mentioned him. Buu adored that puppy, and it was really sad for him not to be able to be with Bee. Icarus and even Nimbus were some kind of comfort to him, but they all could tell Buu wanted to have Bee back. He also wanted Mr. Satan back into his life _,_ but even the childlike and naïve version of Majin Buu could tell his new friends weren't exactly fond of the World Champion. _'Buu will be happy if Bee is okay.'_ "That's nice. So, is Bee happy?"

Videl didn't know why he was asking that. _'Why would he care?'_ "Well, he has a good home, where he gets food and care. I don't see why he would not be happy," Videl said, somewhat offended.

Gohan noticed he had offended Videl and got nervous. _'I didn't intend that!'_ "That's good! I was just curious, since, you know, I like animals. And I didn't know you had a puppy, anyways," he said nervously.

Videl glared at him a little before sighing. "It's fine. I like animals too." She frowned. "I know where you're coming from. I hate when animals are abused." Videl remembered Rocko the Little Dinosaur and became angry. "Not too long ago, the Golden Fighter and I saved a baby dinosaur. I thought the Golden Fighter was stealing it from its owner, but it turned out he was trying to prevent the dinosaur's parents to come to the city to rescue him."

Gohan knew all the story already—he had been there—but he couldn't tell Videl that. Instead, he played dumb. "Really?" he asked. "Poor dinosaur. Did you get him back to his home?"

Videl nodded. "Yeah, the Golden Fighter took care of that. It was amazing—seeing those huge dinosaurs." She smiled. "But I bet you're used to them already, am I right?" She laughed a bit. "I mean, we did run into a dinosaur yesterday and it didn't seem to surprise you. Are there many dinosaurs here?"

"Yeah," Gohan said. "I'm used to them already. They live more around Dragon Rock though."

Videl blinked. "Dragon Rock…?"

"Mount Paozu's rocky area," Gohan explained quickly.

"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense." Videl suddenly had an idea on her head. "Hey," she began, "do you think Rocko and his parents live here?"

"Rocko?" Gohan asked.

"The baby dinosaur the Golden Fighter and I rescued from the circus," Videl explained.

"Oh." Gohan became nervous. "I don't know. There are so many dinosaurs here. I don't know if I have seen him." _'If we don't cross paths with Toh-Toh and his family, then I'll be super happy.'_

"Ah," Videl pouted in disappointment. Suddenly, she perked up. "What about the Golden Fighter?"

"What about him?" Gohan asked.

"Have you seen him?" Videl asked. "I know you're not part of his family, but maybe he lives around here too."

"Eh…" Gohan was surprised at Videl's capacity of deducing things, but it wasn't exactly helping him at the moment. "No, I've never seen him," he lied.

"Never?" Videl inquired.

"Never," Gohan confirmed. He hated to lie—he really did—but he could not tell the truth. Not yet at least. "Now, let's hurry with this, okay? I'm starving!"

"I am too." Videl was disappointed Gohan couldn't give her information of the Golden Fighter, but she guessed it wasn't his fault. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

They decided to eat their lunch outside, with the beautiful scenery that Mount Paozu's East District offered them right in front of their eyes. After chatting and finishing eating, Gohan and his classmates decided to study outside, under the soft shade of a huge tree. Videl, Erasa and Sharpner were definitely amazed by the scenery, and Gohan did like nature, so they all agreed studying outside was great. It was a sunny day, not too hot, and not too cold. It was perfect.

But the peace was soon interrupted by a sound. It was some kind of call. Videl, Erasa and Sharpner didn't know what it was, and they were trying to guess what it was. Gohan, however, knew that call.

Suddenly, a huge, purple dragon ran out of the forest. The three city kids could only scream as the dragon rushed towards Gohan and jumped on top of their classmate and began… licking him?

Gohan laughed. "Ew, Icarus! Stop it!" He laughed some more. "Get off of me! It tickles!"

_'What…'_ The three could only stare dumbfounded as the dragon got off of Gohan, who was still laughing while rubbing his face. Gohan smiled and patted the dragon's head. "It's good to see you, too, Icarus."

Icarus?

"Gohan, are you okay?" Erasa asked worriedly. He seemed to be okay, but a dragon just jumped on him! "You're not hurt?"

"No." Gohan laughed. "I'm kinda used to this. Icarus always does this."

"Gohan… who is Icarus?" Videl asked. It was obvious Icarus was the dragon, but despite it, she couldn't help but ask. She had never seen a dragon so close to her before. And the fact Gohan seemed to be used to this dragon and it even had a _name_ of its own was mind blowing to Videl.

"Icarus? Oh! Right. You don't know him," he chuckled. "Guys, this is Icarus. He's my pet dragon, kinda." Icarus was more of a friend than a pet, but he had a hunch that it would be weird to Videl, Sharpner and Erasa to call a dragon as a friend.

"Pet dragon?!" the three city kids exclaimed.

"I've heard of pet dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, and even snakes. But dragons?! Never!" Sharpner exclaimed.

"Eh, yeah, but that's in the city," Gohan said, slowly. "This is Mount Paozu. Icarus has been around for a lot of time now." Icarus was not the cute young dragon he had been when Gohan first saved him. He had grown too. But, despite looking older and stronger, Icarus was still the same puppy-like dragon he had always been in his heart. "Besides, he's acts a lot like a dog."

"Is he?" Sharpner asked.

"He is. Look." Gohan picked a log that was lying on the floor. "Icarus, FETCH!" he yelled, throwing the log. He did his best not to throw it with much strength. Usually, he threw the log with much more strength. Icarus liked to look for the log Gohan threw him, even if it was kilometers away. They usually had fun measuring Icarus' speed at getting the log. This time, though, he only threw it some meters. Gohan was actually proud he threw the log so close to them. The other teenagers, though, were shocked—not for how near Gohan threw log, but how _far_ he did.

_'That's amazing,'_ Videl thought. _'I know Gohan is strong, but… just how much?'_

_'I can't believe it,'_ Sharpner thought. _'But I guess I shouldn't be amazed. After all, he is the son of a World Champion. But it still is hard to believe.'_

_'Gohan is so strong. It's unbelievable!'_ Erasa thought. _'He's much stronger than I ever imagined!'_

Their thoughts were soon interrupted when Icarus let out a small sound and quickly took off to look for the log. Some few seconds later, Icarus appeared with the log. He landed and set the log in front of Gohan. He seemed disappointed.

_'Sorry, Icarus,'_ Gohan thought, patting. _'I can't really show off my strength in front of my friends. I know this must be disappointing because you're used to me throwing the log much farther. But Videl, Erasa and Sharpner can't find out about my powers. When they're gone, we'll play like we always do.'_

Erasa noticed Icarus' tail waving from one side to the other, similar to a dog. "He really is kind of like a dog," she said.

"See?" Gohan asked. "I told you."

"Does he bite?" Sharpner asked.

"Not really," Gohan said. "Uuunless he doesn't like you," he said, noticing Sharpner was about to pet him.

"Now you tell me?!" Sharpner demanded.

"Eh," Gohan shrugged. "I don't think you won't like him."

Sharpner glared at Gohan, before sighing. "If he bites me, the blame goes to you!"

"He won't bite you, but sure," Gohan said.

Sharpner, with obvious uncertainty, neared his hand to Icarus, and slowly gathered enough courage to pat him in the head. The moment his hand made contact with Icarus' head, he gained his courage back and continued to pat him confidently. "Okay," he said. "You get away with this one."

Gohan chuckled.

"He's actually kinda cute considering he is a dragon," Erasa commented.

Videl and Sharpner groaned at this comment. _'Now she thinks dragons are cute as well,'_ Sharpner thought with a huge sweat-drop in his forehead.

"I guess," Videl replied, shrugging.

They spent the next hour playing with Icarus. They had a lot of fun, they had to admit. Icarus was a fun company. He acted as a dog. It was weird to think he was actually a dragon. Icarus obviously adored Gohan, like how a dog adored its owner. Videl wondered, how did Gohan manage to get a dragon to love him so much? She didn't think it would be easy. There must have been some difficulty into it. She certainly didn't see herself befriending a dragon. But, then again, she and Gohan were raised differently.

A lot differently, it seemed.

She was a city girl, and he was a country boy. She was filthy rich, and while he had money, it was nowhere near as much as hers. She didn't have any siblings, but he had a brother and a sister. She didn't have her mother with her, but Gohan had his mother there for him.

Videl also felt kind of envious for that. She missed her mother. She would lie if she said she didn't. She had gotten used to the fact it was just her, her father, Bee, and the thousands of servants that there was at the house. But that didn't mean that she didn't think of her mother. She did. And there were times the only thing she wanted was to have her back.

And she hated it when her father slept with random whores. She despised it. It was true her mother was gone, but it still didn't give him the right to sleep with other women!

She remembered one particular woman, because even to this day she still sometimes saw her. Miss Piiza. Oh, she hated that woman. She was a moron. And those huge yellow eyes and curvy orange hair only made her a pretty face. That was probably her father's longest affair. It had lasted for years. She hated that woman. She did a good job as her father's agent, yes, but why did she have to sleep with him?! It was annoying! She hated whenever the woman would even talk to her and she usually tried to avoid her. Out of all of her father's women, Piiza was definitely the worst.

She really hoped she would not have to see Piiza's moronic face ever again, but Videl knew that sooner or later she was going to run into her.

Probably when she and her father decided to have some so-called 'quality time'.

Videl sighed.

She was too proud to admit it, but she envied Gohan. She envied the fact he had siblings. She envied the fact he had a mother. She envied the fact he seemed to have a life much more interesting than hers.

But, mostly, she envied him for having parents that still, after all these years, loved each other.

Having the whole family together must be one of the best things in the world.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Erasa began. They had already eaten dinner and now the four teenagers sat on the Son's living room, doing nothing other than gossiping and being lazy.

"What?" three curious voices asked.

"I have a wedding next week," the blonde girl said. "My cousin is getting married. The thing is, I need a date for the wedding."

Videl blinked. "So, you want either Sharpner or Gohan to be it?"

Erasa nodded. "Well, kinda. You see, I managed to convince my cousin to let me invite two more people other than my date. And, well…" The blonde smiled. "I want those three to be you." The three other teens blinked. "Sharpner's gonna be my date," Erasa said, smiling brightly at the blonde, brown-eyed jock, "and you two," she smiled at the two black haired teens next, "are gonna be those two extras I can invite." She smiled excitedly. "I don't think we've ever gone to a wedding together, so why not give it a try? We'll have fun, I promise! So, you're up for it?"

Videl was not really interested in formal parties or whatsoever, but Erasa's Puppy Dogs Eyes managed to convince her, like they did every time. "Oh, fine. I'll go."

"Yay!" Erasa grinned and looked to the two boys. "Are you up for it, guys?"

Of course, neither the strong jock Sharpner nor the Super Saiyan Gohan were able to say 'no' to the blonde girl. Her Puppy Dog's Eyes technique had once again succeeded in convincing everyone to do what she wanted. "Sure, we'll come," Sharpner said, Gohan nodding in agreement.

"Alright!" Erasa cheered. "This is going to be so fun!" She turned towards her best friend and smiled excitedly. "Videl! We can choose our dresses together!"

"Oh, joy," Videl muttered. She _hated_ dresses and she _hated_ shopping. But she knew there was no point in arguing. The blue-eyed blonde would win the argument. She always did, not exactly for having good arguments, but because she had the powerful Puppy Dog's Eyes technique. _'Erasa should be a lawyer. No one would be able to beat her with those Puppy Dog Eyes of hers._ _It would be impossible!'_

* * *

The following morning, a spaceship smoothly landed on Capsule Corporation's spaceship dock. The Briefs weren't alarmed for this arrival. They knew who there were. They just didn't expect for them to appear that particular day. Usually, they told them if they were coming or not, but this time they decided to make it a surprise, it seemed. But it was not a problem. They were always welcome there. They were almost family, in a way.

Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks had engaged into a conversation with the group. Vegeta talked to the three men, Bulma to the three women, and Trunks to the three children. "Coming to see Goku and the others, I presume?" Bulma asked.

The eldest of the three women nodded. "Yes. We decided to come by and surprise them. I've missed them so much!"

Bulma smiled. "Ah, I bet you do. I don't think it's easy to have your family living in a different planet. At least we have spaceships." She laughed. "You better get going if you want to have any time left to spend with Goku and his family, though! Time goes by fast! Better not waste it chatting with us!"

"Yeah, you're right," a man with a huge amount of hair said. "We better get going now."

"I can't wait to see them!" a woman that looked a lot like the eldest, but with longer hair, said. "I'm so happy!"

Bulma chuckled at her and smiled. "They'll be happy to see you too."


	20. The Family Visit

He had not sensed those Kis in a while.

They were very familiar Kis—literally. If it was any other situation, he would be happy to see them. Well, it was not like he was not happy to see them now. He was. However, he knew their visit would complicate things for him. After all, his high school friends were there! The Earthlings that were related to the Earth's Special Forces could mix with Saiyans and other aliens with ease. However, he was aware that some average Earthlings and a group of Saiyans would not mix too well. He feared what would happen if Videl, Erasa and Sharpner found out something weird to them.

And this was the last day!

Gohan was practically panicking. _'Luck really isn't on my side, is it?'_ He sighed. _'There's no possible way my secret won't come out now. There goes my opportunity of being a normal student in peace!'_

Goku noticed his son's panic in his Ki. He was happy that they were coming for a visit, but he did not want his son to be worried. He could not blame him though. He did have three high school Earthling friends with him. _"Don't worry,"_ the Saiyan told his son telepathically. _"I'll go to them and warn them about your friends. I'll make sure they don't do anything that's weird to your friends."_

Gohan was relieved when he heard his father's voice in his head. _"Thanks, Dad,"_ he replied back. _"I owe you one."_

Goku chuckled slightly. _"Don't worry about it,"_ he said. They had just finished breakfast and now the teenagers were in the living room, studying. Goku went outside to find Chi-Chi hanging the laundry. "My family's coming," he told her.

"Really?" she asked. "That's good. It's a nice surprise."

"Yeah, but we've got Gohan's friends here," he reminded.

Chi-Chi almost slapped herself for forgetting that. She could deal with Saiyans just fine, but she was sure the city kids would not be able to handle them! "Oh, no, I kind of forgot about them. This isn't good."

"I know," Goku said. "I'll go to my family and tell them about this. They'll have to try to act as Earthling-y as they can."

Chi-Chi nodded and laughed slightly. "I don't think they'd like that too much."

Goku chuckled. "They won't, but they'll have to deal with it." He gave a quick kiss to his wife, then put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared.

* * *

"So what if alone we can't beat Goten? If we team up, we're sure to win!" a four year old girl exclaimed while flying. "And after we beat him, we'll go after 'Maki and then after Gohan!"

"Um, I don't think it'd be that easy, Kytsu," a girl, just about a year older than Kytsu, replied.

Kytsu pouted and glared at her older sister. "Fine, be pessimistic."

"Or, as I like to call it, realistic," Pia said.

"That's not being realistic!"

"It is," a boy with long, black hair said. "I hate to admit this, but our cousins are Super Saiyans. What makes you think that you can actually beat a Super Saiyan? Even if we teamed up, it'd practically impossible if Goten transformed."

"Shut up, Daikon! You're both pessimists! I bet we can if we really try!"

"You lost to Krillin last time! Do you seriously think you can beat a Super Saiyan if a human can beat you?" Daikon asked.

Kytsu glared at Daikon, but her cheeks were burning red. She had been told by her parents and cousins not to underestimate Krillin, but she did and—even though she hated to admit it—got defeated by him in a friendly spar. He had much more experience in fighting, and Krillin was great at controlling his Ki. Not to mention he was not as weak as someone would think. "Krillin is an exception. He's the strongest human."

"Maybe, but I bet that if it had been Tien or Yamcha, you would've lost too," Pia said.

"No I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would," Pia and Daikon said in unison.

"Shut up!"

The adults laughed at the children. It amused them to watch their endless bicker. They continued their flight while the children kept on bickering. They were not in a hurry, so they were not flying too fast.

"Yo!" Suddenly, someone just appeared in front of them. Son Goku grinned at his family and waved. "Long time no see."

"Kakarot!" Raditz laughed. With no warning, he attacked his brother—attack that was quickly dodged—and the two began wrestling in the air.

"Woah! Hey, Super Saiyan 3, cut me some slack!" Goku laughed. "What's with the attack?"

"Super Saiyan 3?" Raditz asked. "Why did you call me that?"

Goku smirked. "Well, you do have the hair of a Super Saiyan 3. I wonder how your hair would look if you actually were one. I bet you'd be a literal ball of golden hair!" This comment caused everyone to laugh. Raditz just mock glared at his little brother. The two brothers stopped wrestling.

"Kakarot, it's so good to see you!" Gine exclaimed.

Goku laughed. "It's good to see you, Mom." He smiled at Bardock who was floating beside Gine. "You too, Father."

Bardock smirked. "Yeah, cool to see you too, son."

"It's great to see each other again, Brother!" Tanip grinned. "It's been a while."

"Well, we do live in different planets," Kyuri said.

"She's right," Mato laughed.

"Uncle!" Daikon exclaimed and flew over Goku with Pia and Kytsu following him. Immediately, the three kids were swarming the Earth-raised Saiyan, telling him how they were stronger than the last time they saw each other and that they had learnt new techniques. The three kids were obviously very excited to show their uncle how strong they had become.

"We're gonna show off our new powers in your home, Uncle!" Kytsu exclaimed. "We'll beat Goten this time. You'll see!"

"Um… about that…" Goku began. "You'll have to tone it down a little bit."

"Tone it down?" Bardock asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Tanip asked.

"You kind of… can't show off your strength or your powers today which includes anything having to do with Ki, like blast or even flying," Goku said quickly.

The looks on the other Saiyans' faces were hilarious. "What?" Raditz asked.

"You heard me," Goku said.

"But… But why?!" Kytsu asked. She wanted to show off her new abilities and beat Goten so bad. She could not believe she was not going to be able to, and she did not even know why!

"Well, we kinda have some Earthling kids at our place for the weekend," Goku explained.

"What?" Raditz could not help but ask.

"Why?" Kyuri raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Gohan made friends with some Earthling city kids at school, and they somehow convinced him to let them come to our house to study for a test," Goku said. "It was only for one weekend, and we thought we could handle it, so they came. The thing is, they don't know anything about Ki or the truth of the Cell Games or Buu. They're convinced Ki is a trick and that Mr. Satan saved the world."

"Well, look at that," Raditz seethed. He really did hate Hercule. "That bastard should have died long ago. We risk our lives in battle trying to save the whole God damn planet and all we get is these Earthlings believing a sad phony with a huge afro!" Raditz and his family came to Earth to help Kakarot and his friends fight against the androids. When Goku told them about the future teenager's warning, they decided to train and help defeat Dr. Gero's machines. Of course, none of them were exactly happy that a mere human like Hercule had stolen the credit from them. If it was not for Gine stopping them, Bardock and Raditz would have killed Mister Satan long ago.

Goku thought of Videl and got worried. He knew how much his father and brother hated Hercule. "Yeah… Anyways, try to hide your hate from them 'cause one of them is, actually, Hercule's daughter."

"WHAT?" Bardock and Raditz were definitely shocked—and not happy at all. The other just looked surprised.

"You expect us to be nice to that fool's daughter?!" Bardock grimaced at the thought of it. "If you do, then forget it!"

"Bardock!" Gine scolded.

"I don't want to deal with a foolish girl that is probably a phony like her sad excuse of a father, Gine!" Bardock argued.

"Actually, she's not like her father," Goku said. "Believe me; she's clearly more open-minded than her father. She does believe in Hercule's lies, but he's her father. I don't blame her. She's pretty strong for a human too. She's stronger than her father."

"That's not too hard," Daikon chirped.

"It is for a human, Daikon," Goku said. "Well, for a normal human that doesn't know about Ki at least."

"So we basically have to act like Earthlings while those teenagers are at your house, Kakarot?" Gine asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I don't know how to be a human!" Kytsu whined. "I'm a Saiyan."

"I don't think acting as a human can be too hard," Pia said.

"It's not, believe me," Goku said. _'I might as well help them with this for Gohan's sake. They can't mess this up.'_ "C'mon, I'll show you how to act as an Earthling."

* * *

"Big Sis! Big Sis!" Goten ran into Chimaki's room with an excited smile on his cute face. "Can you sense them too?!"

Chimaki realized Goten was talking loudly and that was risky considering Gohan's friend may be able to hear him. "Shhhh!" She quickly put a hand on her little brother's mouth to shut him up. "Don't talk so loud! Our brother's friends may hear you!" she whispered. Goten's eyes widened when he remembered Gohan's weird city friends and nodded. His sister let go of him after that. "And to answer your question, yes, I do sense them. Our family's coming to visit. In fact, Dad's with them right now."

"Why would Daddy be with them now?" Goten asked curiously.

_'That's actually a good question.'_ But then she thought about Videl, Erasa and Sharpner, and realized it probably was something to do with them. _'Probably to warn them about Gohan's friends.'_ "Dad probably went to warn them about Gohan's friends. They wouldn't know that we can't show off our powers, so somebody had to warn them."

"Oh, right," Goten said. He was so excited to see his family again! It was a bummer they would not be able to spar or even talk about stuff that were weird to Gohan's friends, but he at least would get to see his grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. "Too bad we won't be able to spar. At least we'll see them!"

"Yeah, that's true," Chimaki said. "Besides, we can perfectly fight any other time." She got an idea. "Hey! Maybe we can go to Planet Vegeta next time. It's been a long time since we've been there." _'We can visit Cella and her family there. It's been a long time since we've hanged out and spared! And, that way, I'll be able to beat Cumber again! I can't wait!'_

"That's a good idea!" Goten grinned. He liked travelling to Planet Vegeta. It was fun to go visit his family, and his father's old Saiyan friends.

"Yeah, but for now, we have to act as normal to Gohan's friends as possible," Chimaki said. "I don't wanna be explaining them stuff as easy as Ki, you know." She laughed.

Goten laughed. "Me neither!" He did like Gohan's friends, but he did not think it would be fun to explain them something like Ki. After all, they were already surprised with simple things like dinosaurs, squirrels and even Icarus. His seven-year-old mind could not even imagine their reactions if they actually found out the truth.

* * *

"So, when's the wedding?" Chi-Chi asked. Gohan had told her about the wedding of Erasa's cousin and asked her if he could go. Chi-Chi had no problem with Gohan going to a wedding. She loved weddings. Even when she was just a little girl, she always dreamed of her wedding. But, unlike most girls, she knew who she would marry ever since she was twelve. Her wedding was beautiful, and perfect to her. She dreamed with the day her three beautiful children got married. But, for now, she would have to wait. She was kind of jealous of her son for being able to go to a wedding!

"Next Friday!" Erasa smiled. "I'm so excited my cousin is finally getting married! I've been waiting so long for this."

Chi-Chi smiled at the teenager's excitement. "I bet you have. Weddings are always really fun. They kind of reminds me of my own wedding." She did not want to act as a schoolgirl with a crush, but she always felt like one when she thought about Goku and their beautiful wedding.

"When did you get married, Chi-Chi?" Videl asked, curious. She knew her and Goku were really young when they got married and had Gohan, but she was still curious. Chi-Chi was her childhood idol and she wanted to know as much as possible. For once, it actually did not involve Gohan and his secrets.

Chi-Chi smiled. "Oh, a long time ago. Shortly after the Tournament, on Age 756. I was eighteen. Goku had just turned nineteen."

"Wow, so young," Sharpner muttered. He really did not see himself getting married in one or two years. No way!

"Maybe we were young, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Goku had been the love of her life ever since she was a little girl, and she loved him and the family they had built together. They had three strong, smart, beautiful children, and she would do anything for them. "But enough of my husband and I. Do you already know what you are going to wear, girls?" she asked to Erasa and Videl.

Erasa shook her head 'no', but smiled excitedly. "No, but we'll go shopping before the wedding. Won't we, Videl?"

Videl glared at Erasa but sighed. "Yeah, we will."

Gohan laughed slightly at Videl's misfortune. _'Poor Videl.'_ "Well, at least you'll get something to wear for the wedding."

Videl sighed again. She liked clothes; she just did not like shopping. "I guess."

"Hey, is there a wedding, I hear?" a voice was heard.

Gohan rolled his eyes and sighed. They happened to be on the backyard—or, at least, the huge area that happened to be behind the house—so everyone that happened to be outside could probably hear what they were talking about—especially Saiyans. "Yes, Uncle Raditz. There is a wedding."

Raditz grinned and ruffled Gohan's hair, even though he was a seventeen year old teenager. "Oh, I see! Are we getting married already? You should've told me!" Bardock and Tanip began laughing loudly, while the other adults chuckled, and the kids snickered.

"I am not!" Gohan roared, his cheeks turning red. "My friend's cousin is getting married, and we're gonna go to that wedding."

Videl, Erasa and Sharpner could only stare at the newcomers in surprise. He had not expected them at all. Goten and Chimaki had come outside to say hi to their family. The three city kids watched in confusion as the black-haired people greeted each other. Just who were this people?

"So, who are those kids over there?" Bardock asked, although he knew the answer. _'Those must be the humans Gohan brought home.'_ He noticed the three teenagers were staring at him with their eyes wide. "What?"

"You look just like…" Videl muttered. She and her two friends stared at Bardock, then glanced at Goku, then back at Bardock. It was amazing how similar they looked. Yes, Goten was similar to his dad, too. But, Goten was just a seven-year-old kid. Goku and this man, however, were both grown adults. And if it was not for the different skin color, the look on their eyes, and the scar in the man's face, she would say they were the same person. And, while the man was obviously older, he did not seem to be _that_ much older.

Of course her friends noticed such obvious thing. "Wow, are you Goku's twin brother or something? You look just the same!" Sharpner exclaimed in shock.

Bardock's eyes narrowed at being called his son's twin brother. "I'm not Kakarot's twin brother! I am his father."

That cleared something up, but there were still more questions that needed to be answered. "Who's Kakarot?" Erasa asked, confused.

"That's my Dad's real name," Gohan answered. At the three teens' bewildered faces, he chuckled nervously. "Long story. Guess I didn't tell you that, huh?"

"No, you didn't!" Videl exclaimed, glaring at Gohan. But then she remembered the story Gohan told her, Sharpner and Erasa about his father. _'Kakarot is his real name, but the old man who raised him must've named him Goku for some reason. Maybe a nickname? Or maybe, it was a name so that whoever were the enemies of Goku's family could never find him. It'd be very hard to find someone by the name of Kakarot, if everyone knows the man by the name of Son Goku.'_ It was actually a very good plan, not to mention it made sense.

"So, wait," Sharpner began. "You," he pointed to Bardock, "are Goku's father?! As in, Gohan's grandfather?!" He was having a hard time believing it, and he knew it was the same in Videl and Erasa's cases. The man with the scar seemed _way_ too young to have a son around his late-thirties. He knew Goku had barely changed since he was a teenager, and it seemed to run in the family because Bardock did not look old at all.

"That's right." Bardock was actually amused by the look on the teenager humans faces.

Videl's mind was racing. _'Son Goku's name is not his real name. His real name is Kakarot. There are strange people here. One of them looks exactly like Goku and claims to be his father despite looking just a little older than him.'_ Then, she noticed something else that should not have surprised her, yet it did, anyways. _'They have tails too…'_

Gohan was aware of how awkward the situation was, and it was making him feel uncomfortable as well. _'I guess I just might as well introduce everyone.'_ "Guys, these are some friends from high school," Gohan said. "She's Erasa. He's Sharpner. And she's Videl."

The three teenagers snapped out of their shock and greeted the newcomers politely. That was when Videl noticed those people were staring at her. Their looks were one of curiosity, surprise, puzzlement and… pity?

"And this is my family," Gohan continued. He, too, noticed the looks his family gave Videl, and while it was something to expect, he was hoping she did not notice. "Grandpa Bardock, Grandma Gine, Uncle Raditz, Aunt Kyuri, Uncle Mato, Aunt Tanip, Daikon, Pia and Kytsu." When named, each one gave a little greeting towards the human teenagers.

"So, do you want something to eat? I bet you're hungry after such long trip," Chi-Chi said. She knew Saiyans were always hungry, trip from Planet Vegeta to Earth or not. She had no problems in cooking, even for a family of Saiyans. She was used to it. Somehow, the Ox-Princess was able to cook very quickly, in huge amounts, and all her food always tasted delicious. Everyone who tasted one of Chi-Chi's wonderful meals thought that.

"We are!" Daikon, Pia and Kytsu exclaimed together. They all loved their aunt's wonderful cooking. They could not wait to taste her delicious meals.

"You heard the kids!" Raditz said.

Gine laughed. "Chi-Chi, dear, I've learned some new recipes I'd like to give to you. I bet you could do a lot with those." She was going to add they were from some planet in the Northern Galaxy, but she did not since Gohan's friends were there. Like Chi-Chi, she loved to cook. It was easy for them to bond when they first met. Sometimes, Tanip or Kyuri would join them in the cooking, but they mostly left it up to Chi-Chi and Gine since they both loved cooking so much.

"Really? That's great!" Chi-Chi really did like her mother-in-law. They got along quite well, and Gine had kind of taken the role of the mother she never had, which she was glad of. Even if she was an adult, she really appreciated Gine's motherly influence. "I'm sure I'll have fun trying them out."

As promised, Chi-Chi and Gine cooked a huge meal for everyone there. It was almost lunch time—Goku took some time in teaching his family how to behave like 'normal' Earthlings—so everyone was very hungry by the time the food was done. Everyone sat on the backyard, chatting among themselves. Somehow, the Saiyans and the teenager Earthlings were able to get along. Videl, Erasa and Sharpner had to admit they were having fun. Sharpner and Videl were surprised that Son Goku had an older brother and a younger sister, but they accepted it. It was a relaxing, fun lunch. Gohan noticed his friends were not being left out, but at the same time, they were not learning any secrets that he did not want to reveal yet, so he was very glad for that.

Videl had to leave the entertaining conversation she was having with Chi-Chi, Gine, Tanip, Kyuri, Erasa and Chimaki to go to the bathroom. She entered the Sons' house from the backdoor and walked calmly to the guest's bathroom. Just as she did that, something out of the window caught her eye.

* * *

"It really is no fair we can't spar," Kytsu pouted. She, Pia, Daikon and Goten had left the adults to play. They could not show off their power, and that was kind of boring her. She really wanted to show her cousins how much stronger she had become. They could not even play Sky Tag because they could not fly around Gohan's human high school friends! _'But they're not here right now.'_ She smiled excitedly. "Guys, let's play Sky Tag!"

Goten shook his head. "We can't. Big Brother's friends are here, remember? We can't show off our powers."

Daikon nodded in agreement. He was a trouble-maker, but he understood why they were not allowed to use their powers. "Yeah. Remember what Uncle Goku said. Those guys don't know about Ki, and we'll have to deal with them if they actually found out we can use it. They think they're tricks, remember?"

"Ah, come on!" Kytsu was not going to give up so easily. "Don't be so boring." She centered her Ki underneath her and floated away from the ground. "Come an' catch me!" she called from the air, hoping to get them play with her.

Pia panicked. She really did not want to get into trouble for her sister's reckless attitude! "Kytsu, no! We're not allowed to!" What if Gohan's friends saw her flying? It was not a good thing! "We'll get into serious trouble if you keep doing this! Do it for Gohan's sake!"

"Yeah!" Goten knew how important it was to his brother to keep Ki secret to his friends for now. He did not like hiding his powers, but his parents explained him why he had to. He did not want to fail his big brother! "Do it for Gohan, Kytsu! His friends can't know!"

Kytsu sighed. "Oh, fine." She landed on the ground. "Only 'cause it's for Gohan." _'I wish his friends weren't here. I like them, but I really wanna spar and play Sky Tag!'_ "So, what can we do?"

"We'll come up with a game," Pia said. "Just don't use your Ki now, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

And so, they began playing another game Goten came up with. It was on human's standards, so it would not surprise Erasa, Videl and Sharpner. They soon forgot that they almost screwed up by letting Kytsu fly when they were supposed not to as they played their game. They found a way to have fun just by running around like normal Earthling children would.

However, what neither of the four children noticed was that a human girl with black hair and baby blue eyes had watched the whole scene display right in front of her eyes from inside the house, including when Kytsu showed off her ability to fly in the sky.


	21. Deduction and Confrontation

_'I must be dreaming,'_ Videl thought as she leaned into the bathroom's door. _'This must be a dream, or maybe a hallucination. There's no way I just saw Gohan's little cousin fly. There's no way.'_

She had been on her way to the bathroom when she had seen little Kytsu floating away from her sister and cousins while talking to them about something. But that was just not possible. _'I must have imagined it. That must have been it,'_ the Junior Champion told herself. _'Gohan's family may be weird people with monkey-like tails, crazy black spiky hair that are obviously fighters, but that doesn't mean they can fly.'_ It was not hard to deduce that the rest of Gohan's family all were warriors, too. They definitely had the physique of a warrior.

_'But the Golden Warriors from the Cell Games could fly. But, they're supposed to be tricksters. But even if it was a trick in that case, the Golden Fighter can fly too…'_ Videl thought to herself. _'The Golden Fighter is the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games. I know the Golden Fighter is not a phony, and since he's the Delivery Boy, it means the Golden Warriors are not phonies either. Besides, Son Goku doesn't seem to really be a trickster, even though is supposed to have the same powers as them. There was a whole debate whether his abilities were real or not in the Internet.'_ She tried to think more of her experience with Son Goku. _'I've never actually seen him fight, so I don't know if his abilities are the real thing or not. But, he doesn't seem to be the kind of man that would cheat to win. I don't think he would be so low.'_ But, there was always the possibility the World Martial Arts Tournaments were staged. _'Mr. Historia said the Tournaments weren't staged. He was actually there to prove it. And even if they were actually staged, I know the Golden Fighter is not an act.'_

The more she thought of it, the more it seemed that the theory of being able to have such powers without trickery was probable. _'Maybe I wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. Maybe what I saw was true. Gohan's little cousin can fly. And if she knows how to fly, then it is very probable the whole family can fly too.'_ Her eyes narrowed. _'That would mean Gohan can fly too. And if he actually could fly, it wouldn't really surprise me much. Gohan obviously believes that tricks are not actual tricks. He got really mad when his father and his friends were called tricksters. I thought it was only because he wanted to defend his dad, but…'_ She thought for any other reason for Gohan to have reacted that way, and there was only one that made its way into her mind. _'…maybe it's because those tricks Son Goku and the others used at the Tournament are actually real. It would explain the fact I actually saw Gohan's cousin fly. But…'_

She had been raised into believing that any "light attack", the ability to fly, and many other things were tricks. Her father was convinced of it, and he showed the whole world that those "tricks" were not needed to be a great fighter. He had become the World Champion by fairly beating his opponents. Mr. Satan wanted to fight Son Goku and prove he was a trickster in the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament by defeating him in a match. However, neither Goku nor his friends appeared in that Tournament. Even now, Hercule believed them to be cowards because of it.

Believing that those moves were not tricks was against everything she had ever believed. They seemed to be so real in the Cell Games, but her father said it was all staged and that he beat Cell when he was bored of all the tricks. She really believed her father—she really did—but the more she thought of it, the more it seemed… impossible. Cell had beaten up a whole army—not matter if he used tricks or not—all by himself. How could her father match up to that? And if the "tricks" were actually not tricks, then…

Had she been wrong the whole time?

Were those tricks really real?

Did her father know?

_'I don't know what to think anymore.'_ Videl buried her face into her hands. _'Have I believed something that it's not true the whole time?'_ It was something overwhelming, and definitely not expected. Videl hated to be proven wrong, but she could not deny that maybe, maybe it was all true. Maybe having those abilities were not tricks. Maybe the people who could do such amazing—pretty much impossible—things were misjudged. _'If it is true, are there only certain people who can do that?'_ Maybe it was a secret ability. Maybe only a few selected people had those powers. But there was still the possibility that other normal people could have those abilities. _'Or can everyone have those powers?'_

It would certainly be amazing to be able to shoot light beams from her very own hands, and to have super speed and strength. But, what would be the best of all was to have the ability to fly. _'Can somebody learn to fly and do all those crazy stuff?'_ she wondered. _'Can I learn it?'_ Videl could already picture herself, flying around the sky and shooting light beams out of her hands. It would certainly be amazing. It would be like being a super hero.

It would be like being the Golden Fighter.

After all, he knew how to do all of that stuff. He had seen it herself. The Golden Fighter must to have knowledge of those powers, for he had them himself. _'Maybe I could ask him to teach me how to fly.'_ But she did not think he would actually agree to teach her. _'No. He wouldn't teach me if it meant that I could discover his identity. He'll I think I'd use that opportunity to uncover him. I probably would.'_ But just because the Golden Fighter would not give her answers, it did not mean she could not ask somebody else. She did have someone in her mind. _'Gohan obviously knows about these powers. I mean, hell, his little cousin have them! He probably can do all of that himself. His whole family must be able to do it! Maybe even his family friends like Krillin are able to do all of that stuff!'_

There was no way Gohan did not know anything about those abilities. Videl was convinced he had them himself. Gohan had all the answers she wanted to know of that subject. He could perfectly tell her about them. After all, they were friends, were they not? _'I'll ask Gohan to tell me about this stuff. He can't deny knowing something since I saw his own cousin do it. Goten and the others didn't seem surprised. This is obviously something normal to them. I know Gohan will tell me about this if I convince him to do it. He told me about his tail, after all. How can this be any different?'_

Then she thought about learning how to fly, and began to get excited. It was probably weird that she got excited and interested instead of scared, but Videl was not the average high school girl. She would investigate and get the answers she wanted, and she would believe it, even if it was bizarre. Usually, she would think of flying as a trick, but she had seen it with her own eyes. She had not really considered the thought of learning how to fly herself, but now that she did, she was really hopeful that someday, she would be flying around the sky. _'I'll ask Gohan to teach me. I really want to fly! It's not fair that he knows and I don't. He'll probably refuse to do it at first, but I know I can convince him.'_ She smiled excitedly. _'I will be flying in no time!'_

But Videl was not going to confront Gohan about it now. No. She would be patient and wait until they were alone. She really wanted to talk to him about it and demand answers, but she did not want to make a scene. After all, his family would probably try to cover up for him. Not to mention Erasa and Sharpner would be there, and maybe, their presence would make it harder to convince Gohan to tell the truth. Besides, Erasa would be easily fooled, and Sharpner would not want to believe that the World Champion is wrong. Videl did not really want to believe it either, but there was a difference between her and Sharpner.

Hercule was her father.

That fact made it that much easier to see the Champ as just another person and understand that even he could make mistakes. After all, no one was perfect, not even the Hero of Earth. But a simple hardcore fan like Sharpner would not understand that easily. No. It was better if she and Gohan discussed about it when they were alone, without anyone to bother them.

Videl smirked confidently while watching her reflection in the mirror. She knew she could get her friend to tell her the truth. And she would. _'We have some matters to discuss, Gohan. And you're not gonna get away so easily this time._ _I know you know something. There's no denying it!'_

* * *

When Videl came back to the group, she acted as normal as ever. However, she was still thinking of what happened a while ago. She was plotting the ways she could get Gohan to tell her the truth. But, first, she needed to be alone with him. When could she be alone with him so she could question him? She had to make it look like it was not planned. She would wait until she could make her move.

Saiyans were somewhat telepathic, and Goku was no different. And after being trained by Korin, Kami, and King Kai, he got much better at it. He usually trained his mind, and that included his telepathic abilities. He used to need to be in contact with a person's head to read their mind, but now, he could read it without touching when he was close enough. So when he walked near Videl, he read all her thoughts about how Kytsu screwed up about showing how to fly and all the deductions Videl managed to get. _'Damn. This isn't good.'_ When he read the part about confronting Gohan, he thought he needed to warn his son. _"Gohan!"_

Gohan was talking to Sharpner when he heard his father's voice in his mind again. _"What is it, Dad?"_ he asked.

_"Well, uh, I dunno how you'll react to this, but… Kytsu screwed up."_

_"Screwed up?"_

_"For some reason she flew a little a while ago and your friend, Videl, happened to see her from the window when she was going to the bathroom."_

_"WHAT?"_

_"Yeah, and now she wanna confront you about it. She's waiting for the time she can get to talk to you alone to throw it all in your face."_

_"Please tell me you're joking."_

_"I'm not."_

_"Damn it! I thought I could get away with it! Stupid Kytsu."_

_"She's a four-year-old Saiyan, Gohan. It's not her fault. She probably didn't realize Videl was watching."_

_"Yeah, I know, but I'm kind of in a deep problem right now, Dad! What the hell do I tell her?"_

_"The truth?"_

_"How would she even react to the truth? She's freaking Hercule's daughter for goodness' sake!"_

_"But she is much more open-minded than her father. You should tell her the truth. She'll believe you."_

_"But…!"_

_"C'mon, son, she already knows! It's not worth to try to keep lying to her."_

_"I know that! I'm worried of how I'm supposed to deal with her?! She's freaking crazy!"_

_"She can't be that bad."_

_"She's kind of like Mom!"_

_"Oh, really? Well, at least you'll have experience."_

_"That doesn't help."_

_"I tried. Well, try to be calm, okay? Panicking isn't gonna help. It's not like Frieza is gonna come back to destroy everything again."_

_"I rather fight Frieza again than to deal with Videl right now, Dad."_

_"I bet you do. But that's not the case right now. Try not to think about it, or you'll get more worried. You're kind of like your mom in these cases."_

_"I guess. Anyways, thanks for telling me, Dad. I owe you one again."_

_"S'okay. By the way, Gohan?"_

_"What?"_

_"Your friend's talking to you right now."_

_"Huh?"_

"GOHAN!"

Gohan blinked and saw Sharpner looking at him with a little worry in his eyes. "Wha?"

"Gohan, dude! What the hell happened to you?" Sharpner asked. "You kind of zoned out there."

"Sorry." Gohan smiled sheepishly. "I just remembered something, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

"You sure?" Sharpner asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am," Gohan said.

"Okay, then," Sharpner shrugged. "So, about this video game I was telling you about…"

Gohan was listening to Sharpner, and he seemed to be pretty calm on the outside. However, there was a single thought that he had in his mind. _'I'm screwed.'_

* * *

Gohan was trying to act calm the whole day, but he just was not able to. When dinner came, he was still pretty nervous and was hoping Videl would not get her chance to talk to him alone. He knew that, if she did not talk to him today, she would tomorrow. But, maybe tomorrow he would have a better explanation of everything. Not even the food was able to calm him down and, in a fit of clumsiness; he knocked his glass of juice and the liquid ended up falling on his stomach. _'Oh, God damn it…'_ He noticed everyone was staring at him and sighed. "I'm gonna get cleaned up."

_'This might be my chance!'_ Videl stood up as well. "Wait, Gohan! I'll help you!" Everyone turned their eyes to Videl in shock.

_'She WHAT?'_ Sharpner glanced between Videl and Gohan with a very shocked expression. _'Oh man. Did she just tell him that she'd "help" him? No. No. No… I can't believe this… Videl Satan "helping" a boy—and that boy is not me!'_ He felt _really_ jealous. He had a crush on Videl for quite the long time now, and even though he knew it was impossible that they became a couple, he could still dream. _'Damn you, Gohan. You lucky bastard!'_

_'That's it, Videl!'_ Erasa grinned. She, too, had gotten the wrong idea out of Videl's sudden suggestion. _'Take the first step! That's the way you'll get your man!'_ Videl had never and would never say it out loud, but Erasa had a hunch that she had a crush on Gohan. She thought Videl was trying to get his attention this way, and honestly, she was proud of her best friend.

"Um…" Gohan's cheeks were burning red. "I can… do it myself, you know?"

Videl noticed the blush on his cheeks and gasped. _'He doesn't think I meant something else, does he?'_ But she knew the answer, and she realized that probably everyone in the table thought the same too. Her cheeks began burning as well. _'What was I thinking? This is the worst idea I've ever had!'_ "I know that…" she said awkwardly, still blushing. "I'll be honest, that was kind of an excuse. I need to talk to you about something. I really didn't mean anything like _that_!" She blushed all the more when she heard Gohan's grandfather and uncle chuckling.

_'Oh crap…'_ But Gohan knew there was no turning back. "Okay, sure…"

Goku smiled sympathetically to his son. _"Good luck."_

_"Thanks. I'll need it,"_ Gohan replied back as he and Videl walked up the stairs.

Sharpner could still not believe what had just happened. He was not sure if he could actually really believe Videl or not, but he knew she did not really have any experience with boys. Maybe she really did use that as an excuse to talk to Gohan without realizing how misunderstood it actually was. He was sure that she meant…! "HEY! NEXT TIME, BE MORE DIRECT WHEN WANTING TO TALK TO SOMEONE!" he screamed.

Erasa sighed in disappointment. _'Man, Videl still has much to learn when it comes to boys…'_ But she would make sure to teach her best friend the ways. Erasa knew a lot of relationships. She was not fooled. She _knew_ there was chemistry between Gohan and Videl. That moment there just proved it. _'I'll make sure Videl gets her man!'_

Goku decided to start talking about something else so to distract everyone of what just happened. He knew what was really going on, but the others did not. He thought he should make the things less awkward for Gohan when he came back, and so he telepathically told his whole family what was _really_ going on. They all understood—and Kytsu felt terribly guilty for it too—but that did not mean Bardock and Raditz were not going to tease him with that one. They were already plotting!

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Gohan asked from the bathroom. He already knew, but he was trying to act as if he had no clue.

Videl came into the bathroom and locked the door so that he could not get away. "Well—" She was soon interrupted by the sight before her. It was an unexpected one, but even she had to admit, that it was very welcome one. A shirtless Gohan cocked his head to the side, confused of why she stopped talking.

"Um, Videl…?" _'What's up with her? I thought she was gonna demand answers the moment she got her chance. Maybe Dad was wrong and she didn't want to talk to me about this in the first place?'_

She felt her cheeks burn when he caught her looking at him that way. "I…"

_'Maybe she really doesn't wanna talk about that. It's my lucky day! I was sure she would—'_

"I saw your cousin flying earlier today," Videl began quickly, trying to cover up the obvious fact—that yet he seemed oblivious of—that she had been staring at his pretty much perfect bare chest. "And after some thinking, I came up with a conclusion." A fire burned in her eyes as she glared at him. "YOU CAN FLY! AND DO THOSE LIGHT ATTACKS! AND DO ALL THAT CRAZY STUFF THE GOLDEN FIGHTER AND THE GOLDEN WARRIORS DO! AND YOU KEPT IT A FREAKING SECRET! WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT TELL ME, HUH?!"

_'I got my hopes up too soon…'_ Gohan could no longer stay calm and instead began to panic. _'What do I do? What do I do?'_ Then he remembered the fact that his mother and Videl were pretty similar, so he tried to remember a time when his father had successfully calmed his mother down. He remembered one particular time in which his father silenced _and_ calmed Chi-Chi down by kissing her on the lips. _'So I have to kiss her?!'_

He would be lying if he said he did not feel attracted by the fiery Satan girl. He did. He really did. He did not have any crush on anyone before—well, other than Lime, and that was when he was a kid—but he did have some _feelings_ for Videl. He really did not know anything about girls. The only experience he had was the little 'experiment' he and Lime did back when they were twelve. And even that could not help much in this situation. But what else could he do? The only person he ever kissed was Lime, and their kisses were not exactly romantic to begin with. They were just kids!

But maybe a contact between lips would help to silence Videl, right? And maybe it would make her forget her questioning. He really did not know if Videl actually had feelings for him, but a little kiss would not be so bad, would it? It would not be wrong. After all, they _were_ locked up inside a bathroom alone. It was something that would happen on TV shows, too. There was nothing to lose if he took the risk, right? He leaned forwards. He did not think Videl would mind if he did kiss her. After all, he was sure Lime would not mind.

But then the thought that Lime and Videl were two different girls came into his mind in a millisecond, and he stilled. He was acting out of autopilot instinct at the moment, so when he realized what he was actually doing he stopped immediately. The expression in Videl's face made him panic and a weak, white aura flared briefly around his body due to his growing panic.

"What do you think you're doing?" Videl demanded, glaring at him, though there was a blush on her pretty face. _'Did he just glow? I don't know if it actually happened or if I'm going crazy right now. All I know is that I think Gohan almost kissed me!'_ She was a very tough and tomboyish girl, but the thought of kissing Gohan made her blush all the more. She would usually be very offended and angry if a boy just tried to kiss her out of the blue, but for some reason, she was not so bothered because Gohan actually tried. She was more bothered because he actually stopped!

"I…" Gohan could feel his cheeks burning. _'I need to come up with something quick!'_ Then he noticed his salvation lying near the basin behind Videl. _'That's it!'_ "I just… was gonna get… my shirt…"

Videl spun around and noticed his shirt lying near the basin. _'So he wasn't trying to kiss me…'_ She did not know why, but she was actually _disappointed_. She could not explain her feelings, but she really would not have minded to have kissed the shirtless Gohan that was standing in front of her. And that was saying something, because never in her life had she kissed a boy before. And it was not because there were not any boys interested in her—there were a lot of boys that wished to get into relationship with her—but because she never had bothered trying to get a boyfriend. After all, her father had forbidden her to have a boyfriend unless he was stronger than him—and that was impossible in her eyes.

But, maybe Gohan could do it. He was pretty strong. He took care of those thugs from the Red Shark Gang himself, and he was the former World Champion's eldest son. She suddenly realized that it would not be so bad if Gohan was actually her boyfriend. He was definitely handsome, and while he was very mysterious and had a lot of secrets she wanted to uncover, he was really a good person. She really did genuinely like him. He was not like most of the boys that wished to meet her father through her. He was her friend because of who she was, not because of her father. In fact, he really did not seem to care about her father at all. That really made him worthy. Not to mention that if he challenged her father, perhaps he would be able to win using those powers of his.

That was when she remembered. The powers! She was going to question him about his powers, not think about Gohan being a potential boyfriend! She blushed at the thought. _'Did I really just think that I want him to be my boyfriend? Although I have to admit it wouldn't be so bad if Gohan really was my boyfriend…'_ She blushed and looked at him to see him putting on his shirt. _'Well, at least I won't get distracted by that anymore…'_ She blushed even more when thinking that. _'What the hell is going on with me?!'_

Gohan noticed Videl's red expression and blinked. _'What's up with that?'_ "Um, are you okay?" he asked awkwardly.

Videl quickly snapped back into reality. "Uh, yeah, I am." _'I gotta ask him now before something else happens!'_ "Gohan, I want to ask you about those weird powers you guys seem to have. Just a little while ago you had some brief light around you, when you—well…" she blushed slightly again, and shook his head to stop herself of thinking about _that_ again. "What was that?"

_'Darn it. I'm really screwing up, aren't I? I accidentally flared my aura when I panicked!'_ "I don't know what you're talking about, Videl," he lied. "Maybe it was some kind of trick of the lightbulb or something."

Videl narrowed her eyes. "Don't lie to me, Gohan. I know you have some kind of powers. I saw you cousin fly!"

Gohan sighed. _'Oh man, I really have no choice but tell her the truth, do I?'_ "Fine, I'll tell you."

"Really?" Videl actually thought she would have to press even more to get him to talk.

"Really." Gohan ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "So, powers… Man, I really don't even know where to begin. So, um… well, everything you saw—like my aura, and Kytsu being able to fly—is because of Ki."

"Ki?" Videl repeated. "Never heard of it."

"Never?" _'Man, I figured she would at least know something about Ki. This only makes it even harder.'_ "This complicates things," he muttered. "Okay, let's try this: Ki is, basically, a hidden power or energy or whatever you wanna call it inside of your body. When you learn how to control Ki, you can manipulate it to use a lot of techniques, like creating Ki blasts, or flying."

"I see…" Videl thought for a moment. She really had never heard of Ki before. She had just learned about it. _'So if I learn how to manipulate this Ki thing, I can learn how to fly. But what if I don't have that power?'_ "So, basically, if I don't have a Ki, I won't be able to learn how to fly?"

"Don't worry about that!" Gohan smiled. "Every living being has a Ki. You just have to learn to control it."

"Really?!" Videl asked excitedly.

Gohan smiled again. "Really."

"That's awesome!" Videl cheered. "So, can you teach me how to control my Ki?"

"Me?" Gohan asked in surprise.

"Yeah! I mean, I don't really have anyone else that could teach me." Videl really wanted to learn how to fly. Gohan was probably her only chance of ever learning how to do it, and she knew that. "Please, Gohan. I really wanna learn how to fly!"

Gohan began to think about it. He really would not mind giving flying lessons that much. It could not be so bad. He liked teaching other people. However, teaching Videl how to fly was a risk, considering she would probably keep trying to continue uncovering whatever secrets he had left. _'Then again, she has found out a lot already. Maybe she doesn't think I have any more secrets to hide.'_ But it was still a risk. _'But even if I say no, she still knows about Ki and she may tell others about my secrets. I can trade the flying lessons for her silence. It's a fair deal, and I won't have to worry of others finding out my secrets. I'll only have to be wary of Videl discovery my alien origins and my connection to the Golden Fighter, and I'm sure I can do it.'_ "Okay, fine. I'll teach you how to fly." He saw her eyes lit up, and he could not help but smile. "But, you'll keep the flying lessons and what you know about Ki as a secret."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Videl replied with a shrug.

"Really?" Gohan asked. He thought it would be harder to convince her to keep it a secret.

"Really." But Videl was really curious on why Gohan was so hell-bent on keeping it all a secret. "By the way, why do you wanna keep this a secret so bad?"

"Well…" Gohan figured he should be honest with her. "I wasn't the one who wanted to keep it a secret in the beginning. My Mom and a family friend told me it was better if I kept my powers a secret. They said I would call too much the attention and they feared of how everyone would react if they found out. I didn't understand them at first, but after a few days at high school, I did."

"You were worried of how people would react?" Videl asked.

"Can you blame me? I mean, people doesn't believe in Ki anymore. They think all these stuff are just some dirty tricks. Many Ki-using fighters like my dad got burned when people began believing their abilities were tricks." _'Thanks to your dad,'_ he almost added, but he stopped himself. He did not want to hurt Videl's feelings. "I really didn't want to spend my high school experience being known as a trickster, so I kept my powers to myself. Besides, I never really expected someone would be so hell-bent on discovering my secrets," he joked.

Videl chuckled. She really was hell-bent on discovering Gohan's secrets for some reason. "You've always seemed to be hiding something, and I wanted to know what. I know I shouldn't try to invade people's privacy and all, but what can I say? I'm a curious girl."

Gohan laughed. "I noticed." But then he turned more serious. "But, to tell you the truth, I did plan on telling you guys about my powers."

Videl thought he was joking, but then she realized he was not. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Gohan nodded. "I just hoped to know you guys better. You know, have more trust in you. But I really was going to tell you someday. I knew I couldn't keep on hiding forever."

This made Videl feel a little bit guilty. _'I questioned him about stuff he wasn't comfortable in telling me yet. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. I mean, he says he was gonna tell us this in the future anyways.'_ But what was done was already done and there was no way back. She did not regret finding out about Ki. She just regretted that she probably made Gohan uncomfortable about it.

"Please don't tell Erasa and Sharpner," Gohan told her. "I wanna tell them, but I really don't think I should yet. I wasn't going to tell neither of you about it anyways. You were the one who found out by yourself. I wouldn't have talked."

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Videl replied. _'I don't wanna hide something like this from Erasa and Sharpner, but I understand where Gohan comes from. He's gonna do me the favor of teaching me how to fly. I should return the favor by keeping all this as a secret.'_ "I won't tell them. I swear I won't. I think they deserve to know, too, but it's your call."

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Videl." _'But it really is unfair to Erasa and Sharpner that she knows, yet I'm still hiding the truth from them.'_ "I promise I'll tell them someday, but it definitely won't be today."

"That's okay," Videl said. "I'm sure you'll keep your promise. I can even help you with telling them the truth if you want. That way you won't have to tell them alone."

"Thanks," Gohan said. "We should go back to the others."

"Yeah, we should," Videl agreed. "But before we go, can you show me some of this Ki?"

Gohan blinked. "Oh, yeah, sure. Watch." Gohan ignited a small amount of Ki in his hand.

"Wow…" Videl eyes lit up with his Ki's glow. It was like a little ball of light that floated on Gohan's hand. "That's so amazing! I can't believe I didn't know about this."

"But now you do." Gohan smiled and extinguished the ball of Ki in his hand. "We really should go back to the others. We've been here for quite a while. They may even think that we, well…" he trailed off, a blush making its way to his handsome face.

Videl understood what he meant and began blushing as well. "Yeah…" _'Erasa won't stop bothering me about this. How can I tell her what happened without telling her Gohan's secret?'_

Gohan was actually having similar thoughts. _'There is no possible way my family is gonna let me live out of this one in peace, especially Grandpa and Uncle Raditz. They're gonna bother me with this for the rest of my life!'_

* * *

When he noticed Gohan and Videl entering the room, Bardock smirked. _"Raditz, it's time to put our plan in motion."_ After all, just because they actually knew what really happened in that bathroom, they could still tease Gohan about it.

Raditz mirrored his father's smirk. This was going to be so fun! "I see you can still walk straight then," he said to Videl.

Videl halted and looked at Raditz in surprise. "Huh?!"

_'Oh no…'_ Gohan groaned knowing what was going to come.

Bardock read Gohan's thought and smirked at him. "Well, you clearly didn't do a good enough job!"

"Just like his father," Raditz chirped.

Goku glared at his older brother. "Hey!"

"Grandpa, Uncle, we didn't do anything like that!" Gohan sneered, Videl nodding in agreement.

Bardock snorted. He knew they did not do anything like that, but he was having fun teasing his grandson. "Yeah, right. That's what Gine used to tell her family when we first met, and we all know how honest that was."

Gine blushed and glared at Bardock, punching him in the arm. "I never lied!"

"You did hide it."

"Both of us did!"

Everyone at the table looked at them. Sharpner and Erasa were definetly surprised—and in Sharpner's case he was also quite amused. Goku groaned and smacked his head in the table. Gohan looked disgusted by his grandfather and uncle's comments, but would be lying if he said he did not see the coming. Videl, however, was really embarrassed by the whole situation.

But they were not done with their merciless teasing. "So, her surname is Satan. Tell me, Gohan, was she like a demon?" Raditz asked, and then laughed at his own words.

"Please tell me I'm not gonna be a great grandfather now," Bardock said. "I'm too young and handsome to have great grandchildren now."

"Dad, enough teasing," Raditz said. "After all, he's Kakarot's kid."

Goku growled at his brother. "What does that mean?"

Raditz was about to answer when Kyuri hit him in the head. "Enough! Can't you see you're embarrassing everyone in this table?!"

"Aw, come on, Kyuri!" Raditz whined. "It was just some fun."

"Well, that fun has got to end now!" she replied.

Gohan sighed and sat down, with Videl following suit. He knew Bardock and Raditz would tease him, but he really had not expected to tease him and Videl in front of everyone. He felt tempted to kill his own grandfather and uncle in that moment. "Sorry," Gohan said to Videl.

"It's okay," Videl replied, trying to smile.

"Wow," Sharpner began. "Your family is… special."

"I know," Gohan sighed.

Erasa looked at Videl questioningly. "So what really happened?"

"Nothing, Erasa!" Videl snapped. "Absolutely nothing! I just wanted to ask Gohan about..." _'What can I say to cover it up?'_ But Videl was a quick thinker and an idea came immediately into her mind. "…the Golden Fighter! Yeah, that. I was reminded that the Golden Fighter was friends with some dinosaurs, and I asked him if he didn't happen to see the Golden Fighter around at some point. That was all there was to it. I don't even know why you guys like to think something else happened!"

Erasa shrugged. "No special reason." But there was a reason, alright. She believed the Golden Fighter story, but Erasa was not fooled by Videl's denial of liking Gohan. She was _sure_ there was chemistry between them, and she would make sure Gohan and Videl dated in the future. _'I know they'll be a couple. I can feel it!'_ She was pretty excited for her friend, too. _'Videl is so lucky! Her boyfriend will be Gohan, one of the smartest not to mention handsome guys in the whole school!'_


	22. Jealous Much?

"Come on, you need to tell me what really happened!"

"I already told you, Erasa! Nothing happened."

"Yeah right! I don't buy that. Something did happen, and I am going to find out!"

Videl sighed. Erasa had been questioning her about what happened between her and Gohan in his house for three days straight. Videl kept telling her nothing had happened, but Erasa refused to believe her. Erasa was convinced something really did happen between her and Gohan, and Videl honestly did not know what to do to make Erasa understand that nothing really happened.

"Erasa, I'm telling you, nothing happened!" _'Well, there was a moment that it seemed he almost kissed me, but he was only getting his damn shirt.'_ "I just asked him about the Golden Fighter because I thought Gohan maybe knew something, but that was all!" She really did not like to lie about what they had really talked about in the bathroom, but she had given her word that she would not tell anyone the truth.

"But why did you want to be alone with him?" Erasa was smiling slyly. "There has to be a reason for that."

Videl shrugged. "I just thought that he'd talk if we were alone. Every time we're with someone, he manages to avoid answering my questions. That's why I needed to be alone with him." And that was actually the truth.

Videl sounded too honest to be lying, but even if she was telling the truth, Erasa was convinced there was chemistry between the two. "Why don't you just admit that you have a crush on Gohan?"

"I do not have a crush on Gohan!" Videl argued. _'Even though I really wouldn't mind to have him as my boyfriend… What the hell am I thinking?!'_ The thought of actually having Gohan as her boyfriend made her blush ever so slightly.

Her blush was of course noticed by the blonde girl. "Keep telling that to yourself, Girl. I am convinced you do have feelings for him, and I'm gonna prove it!"

_'Oh man…'_ Videl knew Erasa was not kidding. "Good luck with that."

Erasa smirked—kind of out of character for the happy-go-lucky teenager—and laughed slightly. "I won't need it, Vi."

* * *

"Okay, Students!" the Chemistry teacher yelled to get the class' attention. "I have corrected the tests of Monday. There a variety of grades—some good and some bad. Now you will be able to correct your mistakes and learn why you got it wrong."

Everyone was excited yet worried about getting their tests. Whoever got good grades celebrated, and whoever got bad grades began whining and lamenting. Sharpner was really nervous. He was never good at Chemistry, so he usually got bad grades. However, Gohan's tutoring seemed to help because when Sharpner got his test, he literally jumped off his chair and screamed in joy. "I got a good grade. I got a good grade!"

When Erasa got her grade, she squealed in joy. "This is the best grade I've ever had in Chemistry!" she laughed. She turned to her best friend in excitement. "What's your grade, Videl?"

Videl had neither jumped nor squealed when she saw her grade. She just stared at it, amazed that she was able to get so many things correct. "The best one I've had in a long time." She smiled at Gohan. "You really should be a teacher, Gohan! It's thank to you we got these grades."

"Yeah man!" Sharpner laughed. "Thank you so much! I bet that stupid old man couldn't believe I got so many things right when he was correcting my test. And he can't say I copied because it's pretty much impossible to do so when he's around."

"You're the greatest tutor ever!" Erasa cheered.

"Ah, it's not that much," Gohan said with a smile. He was quite flattered that his friends thought he was a good tutor. "I'm glad I could help."

"See? I knew it was a good idea to go study at your house!" Videl grinned at Gohan.

Gohan could tell that Videl did not think going to his house was a good idea just because of the studying. He knew she was happy because she got to prove that he was indeed hiding something. Not to mention she met the former World Champion and got free flying lessons. _'She really got benefited by this.'_ "Yeah."

On the other side of the classroom, Angela sat with Kima and Kanteki, gazing at Gohan. _'He looks so hot…'_

Kima noticed Angela staring at Gohan and shook her head. "You know, you're making awfully obvious that you like the guy. Stare at something else!"

Angela looked at Kima and pouted. "But what could I stare at?" she whined. "There's nothing as interesting as him here. And besides, he already knows I have a crush on him."

Kima rolled her eyes. "I know that, but you don't have to stare at him all the time. Besides, there are other stuff you can stare at. For example, you could stare at your test. This is definitely a very good grade. You should be happy!"

"I am happy about my grade!" Angela argued. "And I don't stare at him all the time!"

"Tell that to yourself," Kima muttered, and Kanteki laughed.

"Hey, Angela! Why don't you go talk to him?" Kanteki asked.

"What?" Angela felt her face heat up. "Talk to him?"

"Well, yeah," Kanteki said. "You're friends, right? You can go talk to him."

"About what?"

"Ask him about his test, maybe," Kima said. "After all, what everyone cares about right now are the grades. Just ask him what grade he got."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked hesitantly.

Kima could not believe Angela of all people was hesitating to talk to a boy. "Angela, he's your friend. Just go, and talk to him. Nothing bad can possibly happen."

"Kima's right, Angie!" Kanteki said. "You can do it! It's not like if it was your first time talking to him. He won't mind if you ask him what grade he got. He thinks of you as his friend!"

_'They're right,'_ Angela realized. _'Gohan and I are friends. It's totally fine to talk to him!'_ "All right!" she exclaimed, full of newfound confidence. "I'll go talk to him."

"You go, Girl!" Kanteki cheered.

Angela walked to Gohan. When noticing Videl and Erasa being with him, she felt a pang of jealousy hit her. But she tried not to let it bother her. She did not want to push him away by being a bitch. "Hi, Gohan." Then, she remembered there were more people with Gohan, and it would have been impolite to ignore them. "Hi, Erasa. Hi, Sharpner. Hi, Videl."

Sharpner smiled slightly. "Hey."

Gohan smiled at Angela. He really did not have any romantic feelings for her, but she was one of the few actual friends he made in school. He trusted her enough to tell her about what happened between him and Lime. "Hi, Angela. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Angela said with a smile. _'He worries about me!'_ "I actually got a good grade in the test so I'm happy! What about you, guys?" She figured she should ask about all of them, although to be honest, she was only interested in Gohan.

"We're fine," Videl said quickly. She still did not know why, but she really was not too fond of Angela being so close to Gohan. She hoped the purple-eyed girl would leave them soon.

Angela, however, had no intention of leaving yet. She hoped to talk more to Gohan, and Videl was not going to stop her. "That's good. How was your test?"

"It was good," Erasa replied before Videl could. She knew her best friend, and she was sure Videl was not too fond of Angela, because she obviously had a crush on Gohan. _'I knew she likes Gohan.'_ Then, she got an idea. _'If Angela stays, maybe Videl will feel forced to admit her feelings. Videl may be stubborn, but I'm sure she's jealous.'_ She needed to get Angela to stay with Gohan more time. "I had the best grade I've ever had at Chemistry. Gohan is a great tutor!"

"Ah, c'mon, I'm not that great," Gohan said modestly.

"Don't say that! I'm think you're the greatest!" Angela said, without thinking first.

_'Why the girls like him so much?'_ Sharpner sighed. _'It's not like he's perfect.'_

"Thank you," Gohan said. _'She still has that crush on me, huh?'_ He honestly did not have any romantic feelings for her, so he really hoped that she would someday fall in love with someone else. He knew that they would never work out as a couple. He just knew it somehow. "I'm glad you had a good grade, Angela. I know you actually studied a lot for this test."

"I did," Angela giggled. "I'm lucky that Kima is a pretty good tutor, too. I mean, I don't think she's a smart as you, but she's still good at Science."

Videl was annoyed at how Angela always took whatever chance she had to compliment Gohan. It was like if she was trying to gain his heart that way, and Videl did not like it one bit. "That's good," she said, forcing herself to act as calm as possible. "You're lucky to have Kima." _'You could just go back to her and leave us alone.'_

"I am," Angela admitted. "She helps me in a lot of things. I admit that I am lucky to have her."

"Didn't you leave her alone when you came to talk to us?" Videl asked. "Maybe you should go to her so that she isn't alone." _'I hope she gets the hint and go. I don't know why, but her presence is really annoying me right now, especially when she flirts with Gohan.'_ But she did not think that she was jealous. _'It's not like I have a crush on him or something. I'm just looking out for my friend, that's all.'_

"No. She's with Kanteki." Angela did not mean to be paranoid, but she was beginning to suspect Videl did not want her there. "Do you want me to leave or something?"

_'Yes!'_ But Videl was not a mean girl, and she did not want to offend anyone. "No, of course not. I just thought your friend might be lonely. I didn't realize she was with Kanteki."

Everyone could have believed Videl when she said that, but Erasa did not. She was kind of a ditz, yes. But, she knew her best friend, and she knew when she was lying. _'Videl really is jealous. I don't think I've ever seen her this jealous in my whole life!'_

"Oh, I see." Angela was not exactly the brightest crayon in the box, so she believed in what Videl told her. She soon shrugged it off and turned to Gohan with a smile. "Talking about friends, it sucks that we haven't been able to hang out."

"Yeah…" _'I know she wanna spend some time with me 'cause I'm her crush. But we're also supposed to be friends. I don't mind hanging out with her at all, as long as we're just friends. She isn't a bad person. She can actually be a pretty good company.'_ "I guess we could hang out someday."

Angela was excited that he agreed with her. "Really?!"

"Yeah."

Erasa noticed the look on Videl's face, and she suddenly had an idea. _'This isn't gonna be the nicest thing to Videl, but maybe Angela being near Gohan would help her realize her feelings. I'm starting to think that not even she realizes she has a crush on Gohan, despite of how obvious it is. If Angela comes to my cousin's wedding, then maybe Videl will finally accept her feelings, especially since Gohan is her date. Besides, I'd be doing a favor to Max. Angela could be his date.'_

Max was a cousin of Erasa's. They were the same age and they got along. However, her cousin lived in East City, so she did not see him that much. Max was usually popular with the ladies, but he could not get a date willing to travel to Satan City for different reasons. That was when he called Erasa asking if one of her friends could be his date. She had originally planned that Videl could take that spot, but decided against it when she thought of inviting Sharpner and Gohan as well. But, Angela could be that date Max needed. Her best friend was probably going to be very annoyed at her for inviting Angela, but Erasa was sure that it was for the greater good.

"Angela, my cousin is getting married on Friday, and we're all going," Erasa said, referring to herself, Videl, Gohan, and Sharpner.

"Really?" Being the hopeless romantic she was, Angela loved weddings. "I'm so jealous. That sounds like so much fun!"

Videl wondered why Erasa would tell Angela about the wedding, but then it hit her. _'No…'_ Erasa would not do that, would she? _'No, it can't be. Erasa, don't you dare do it!'_

But she did anyways. "Yeah, and I was wondering if you'd like to come?" Erasa asked. "You see, I have a cousin that lives in East City, but he had bad luck and none of his friends could come as his date. Could you be his date? You don't have to worry, though. He's a hottie!"

Videl felt like punching someone. _'Dammit! Why would Erasa do that?!'_

Angela looked happy. "Of course I would! I love weddings!" _'And I'll get to be more time with Gohan! Not to mention I will get to see him wearing a tux!'_ She was really happy for that. Not to mention, she was meeting another boy. She was always a boy-lover. _'Maybe my date can become my friend, too. I'd be cool to have more male friends. It'll definitely help me, I'm sure!'_

"Awesome!" Erasa ignored Videl's glare and she smiled at Angela. "I'll tell Max about you. I'm sure he'll be happy. He's coming to this city in Friday afternoon, so you could meet personally then."

"Sure!" Angela had no problems with that. "I'm sure your cousin is a cool guy. I have a feeling this wedding will be a lot of fun!"

_'I had that feeling, too, until Erasa invited you.'_ Videl sighed. _'Why did she do that?_ _Why?!'_

"I'm really excited for this!" the orange-haired-girl chirped. "I'm gonna tell Kima and Kanteki about this. Thank you so much for inviting me, Erasa!"

"Sure, no problem," Erasa said, smiling. _'I know that Angela being there will help Videl sort out her feelings._ _I'm sure of it!'_

Angela giggled. "Bye! See you later!" And with that, she went back to Kima and Kanteki to tell them everything that happened and inform them about the wedding. She wanted to have her best friends' advice on how she should dress and act in order to become friends with Max and even to flirt with Gohan without looking like some kind of slut or whore.

As soon as she left, Videl turned to Erasa with glaring eyes. "Why did you invite her?"

"I already told you, my cousin Max needed a date," Erasa said. _'She's definitely jealous!'_

But Videl could see there was more into it. She was not going to question Erasa at that moment because Gohan and Sharpner were there. But, later, she would ask Erasa the real reason of why she invited Angela to her cousin's wedding, and she was getting answers. _'Erasa has to have a reason to invite her, and I'm gonna find out what!'_

* * *

"Okay, Erasa, tell me the _truth._ Why did you invite Angela? Don't you say it was for your cousin!"

"But that really is why, Vi." _'She doesn't need to find out the real reason yet.'_ "Max needed a date for the wedding, and somehow Angela seemed perfect for the job."

"How can she be the perfect date for your cousin?" Videl could not imagine Angela being the perfect date for anyone. "She is such a boy-lover. She'll probably leave him alone."

"And that's a good thing," Erasa said. "I know Max. He'd want to meet some girls, and I know Angela won't mind that." She grinned. "In fact, I'm sure Angela will try to get a man herself."

"Yeah, I guess…"

Videl was trying to act normal, but there was an obvious jealousy in her voice. _'She is so jealous!'_ Erasa laughed to herself. _'I'll get her to confess in no time!'_ "She seemed to be pretty fond of Gohan." She stopped a moment to see Videl's reaction. The black-haired girl was trying to look indifferent, but Erasa could see past her façade. "I wonder if she'll manage to get him. I mean, Gohan is a super-hot guy. I'd be awesome to have him as a boyfriend!"

Videl frowned at the thought of Angela and Gohan dating. "I don't want Angela to be Gohan's girlfriend."

Erasa smiled. _'I got her!'_ "And why is that?"

"Well, because Angela is such a boy-lover, she'd probably end up dumping him like she has done to all of her boyfriends," Videl said. "I don't want a friend of mine to go through that."

_'That's what you say to yourself. I know you want him as your boyfriend, Vi!'_ "I guess you're right. I don't want that to happen to Gohan either." _'And I'm sure it won't. Gohan doesn't seem to have a crush on Angela. He wouldn't get involved with her. Videl is just saying that to cover up her crush.'_ "We should go to another shop."

"Another one?!" Videl had been dragged by Erasa to the mall so that they could buy some dresses for the wedding. She hated shopping, so she really was not having such a good time. She was tired of looking for dresses. The only positive thing was that she could try to get answers from Erasa, but it was becoming obvious that the other girl was not going to tell her the truth about why she invited Angela to the wedding. But, not even questioning was worth looking in every single shop for a dress that she would probably use only once in her life! "No…"

"Oh, yes we are!" Erasa was not going to let Videl get away without a proper dress. "I want to look wonderful for the wedding, and I'll make sure we both fit into the 'fabulous' category!"

"Ugh…" Videl sighed. "Count me out. I'm happy not being part of that category if it means more of this stupid shopping."

Erasa was not going to give up though. _'I know how I can convince her.'_ "Then you wanna look worse than Angela?"

Videl grimaced at that, but then she shrugged. "I don't really care."

"Are you sure? I mean, if she looks too pretty then maybe all the boys will want to date her."

Videl looked at Erasa with a raised eyebrow. "Where are you going with this?"

"Well, maybe even Gohan would want to date her, and he's _your_ date…"

Videl's eyes narrowed when Erasa said that. Did she really think of Gohan as that kind of guy? "Gohan wouldn't want to do that just because she's a pretty face."

"Oh, come on, Videl! No matter how nice Gohan is, he's still a man!" Erasa argued. "And you know how dumb men can be sometimes. Gohan may be smart, but Angela obviously has a crush on him and I'm sure she wants him to like her. And Angela has always managed to date the guys she likes."

Videl frowned. _'That is true, but Gohan can't date her!'_ She had to prevent that from happening no matter what! "Well, I guess that changes things…"

"It does!" Erasa took hold of Videl's hands and smiled at her. "Gohan is your date, and you gotta show Angela that. Don't let her take your man away from you!"

"He's not _my_ man, Erasa!" Videl exclaimed, her cheeks red. "I'm just gonna do this because he's my friend, and I don't want him to date someone that could hurt him."

But Erasa knew that was not the real reason, even though Videl probably did not know that herself. "Whatever you say, Videl." She laughed. "C'mon, let's get some dresses."

* * *

"You're going to a wedding?" Lime asked. "And your date is Mr. Satan's daughter?"

"Pretty much," Gohan said. "And today Erasa invited Angela. Remember her? She's the girl who has a crush on me."

Lime was the person he could tell all of his high school ordeals. Of course he had a lot of other people he could talk with, but Lime was the only Earthling teenager that could understand him in a way. On Monday, he went to Lime and told her all what happened since the last time they talked. That included the Angela issue and what happened in the weekend Videl, Erasa and Sharpner came to his house. He would never forget her reaction when he told her what happened in the bathroom.

_"You did what?!" Lime yelled._

_Gohan blushed and hid his eyes with his bangs._ _"You heard me."_

_"But why?! Are you out of your mind?" she asked._

_"I didn't know what to do, Lime!" he argued. "Kytsu screwed up about keeping the secret and she was questioning me about flying. I didn't know what to do. I thought that maybe that would work and make her calm down!"_

_"But you tried to kiss her!" Lime was one of Gohan's closest friends, and she knew him well. Gohan did not have much experience with girls, and he usually tried to be just friends. But actually trying to kiss her was not something Gohan would usually do. "You do realize what you're saying? You wouldn't try to kiss a girl without a reason!"_

_"I had a reason!" Gohan argued._

_"Don't give me the, 'I wanted to calm her down' speech, Gohan. You're not like that. You wouldn't have bothered to try to do that unless you had_ another _reason." Lime was also pretty naïve when it came to love, but she was not a fool and she knew Gohan well. He would not have tried to kiss a girl just to calm her down. He was not a player. There was another reason, and she thought she knew what._ _"You have a crush on her."_

_"What?" Gohan laughed as if she were crazy. "I don't have a crush on Videl. That's crazy!"_

_But Lime was not fooled. "Don't give me that. You have some feelings for her. I'm sure you do."_

_Gohan was beginning to suspect himself that he may have a crush on Videl, but that was still crazy in his mind. The only crush he had ever had was Lime, and that was years ago when they were twelve. But things were different now. He was older, and Videl was very different from Lime. He really could not make the mistake to compare them, like he did when he was about to kiss Videl._ _"How do you know that for sure?"_

_"Easy." Lime smiled. "I'm one of your closest friends, and I used to be your crush. I know you enough to know when you like someone or not. These may be different situations, but to be honest, you haven't changed much since then and now._ _You're still a naïve fool."_

_"Gee, thanks," Gohan replied sarcastically._

_"But it's true!" Lime said. "But even if I hadn't been your crush, I still know you enough to tell you wouldn't kiss a girl unless you really liked her. You're not a player or anything like that. You wouldn't do something like kissing as if it were nothing special. If you tried to kiss Videl, it must've been because you like her. Not because you wanted her to calm down as you tell yourself."_

_Gohan blinked. "Well, I guess that's true." It really did make sense. "But, do I really have a crush on the girl that managed to uncover all my secrets and happens to be Hercule's daughter?" He sighed. "Man, I'm screwed. From all people…"_

_Lime laughed. "Yeah, you are." At least he was accepting the fact he had a crush on Videl._

_"I'm serious," Gohan said. "She may know about Ki now, but what about my other secrets? How would she react to finding out I'm a half-alien that fights along other warriors to defend Earth? I don't wanna make her world fall apart by telling her that her father is just a phony that has lied to the entire world, including her!"_

_Lime was not sure what to say. Gohan obviously did not want to hurt the girl, but she had a feeling that he would not be able to hide his secrets forever—especially if he really did have a crush on her. Lime was not fond of Mr. Satan at all, but what Gohan told her about Videl made her respect the girl more. It was not her fault that she was living in a lie, and Lime understood that. She would not like to tell Videl the truth if she was in Gohan's position, but he could not hide it forever. "I understand that. I wouldn't want to tell her either. But she is gonna find out no matter what. You should tell her when you're ready to face the consequences, but she shouldn't learn from anyone else. If she did, it may screw up your relationship with her and she'll never want to be your girlfriend."_

_"Lime!" Gohan was surprised that Lime would take it that far. "She's not my girlfriend, and I don't know if I want her to be."_

_"Oh, come on! You obviously like_ like _her. I don't see why she wouldn't be your girlfriend in the future."_

_Gohan really did not think that he and Videl would go that far. "Because maybe she doesn't like me?"_

_"Nonsense!" Lime was sure of her prediction. "I don't know her, but from what you told me, she does care for you. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a crush on you, too."_

_"What?" Gohan did not think Videl would have a crush on him. He really did not. But, he was not a girl, and he definitely did not understand them. But, he did feel kind of happy at the thought of Videl liking him more than a friend. "You really think so?"_

_"Yeah!" She smiled. "I'd like to meet your crush sometime. After what you told me, I know for sure that she is different from her father, and I won't judge her for that. We could even be friends." And she would make sure Gohan and his crush end up together. If it was what would make Gohan happy, then she would make it work no matter what._

_"Yeah, well, I guess you can meet her when she comes to learn how to fly," Gohan said._

_Lime nodded. "Awesome." If Videl really did prove she was a girl worthy enough to be Gohan's girlfriend, then she would do anything in her power to make sure Gohan and Videl became a couple. It was a crazy idea, but it would be a good one as long as it made Gohan happy. "I'm sure we can get along somehow."_

_"Yeah… By the way, Lime?"_

_"Yes?"_

_Gohan looked as he would tell her something_ very _important. "Don't tell my mom this."_

_Lime laughed. Chi-Chi would really make a big deal out of Gohan's crush, and he obviously wanted to avoid that. She really could not blame him. "Don't worry, I won't," she promised. "Now, tell me what happened after the bathroom incident."_

"Oh, yeah, I remember her," Lime said. "The orange-haired girl that has two friends and is a total boy-lover, right?"

"Yeah, that's her," Gohan said. "Erasa invited Angela to the wedding for some reason. I don't mind, but it was really out of the blue."

"She must've had a reason." Lime shrugged.

"She said it was because her cousin needed a date. I believe that, but she suggested it just after Angela said she would like to hang out more with me. That was what made it weird."

But Lime had an idea of why Erasa did it. _'Gohan told me Erasa is Videl's best friend. If Videl does have a crush on Gohan, then she would know. But if she really did have a crush, it would be a really dick move to invite a girl who likes Gohan, unless…'_ Then it hit her. _'Oh, that is so good!'_ She wanted to laugh, but she held it back. She did not want Gohan to suspect something. "I'm sure she felt sorry for Angela and decided to invite her to the wedding out of mercy. Besides, her cousin needs a date after all."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Gohan shrugged. _'I shouldn't be minding others' business anyways.'_

Lime grinned. _'If Videl really gets jealous of the Angela girl and admits she does have a crush on Gohan, it would make him happy!'_ "So, are you excited for the wedding?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't like formal stuff, but it sounds fun. Erasa is very excited for it."

"I bet she is," Lime said and then laughed. "Weddings are something to be excited about. And after all you've told me about her, I'm pretty sure she is very excited about buying dresses right now."

* * *

"Thanks goodness, that's over!" Videl took the liberty to sit in a bench to rest. "Finally, we're over!"

"Oh, don't exaggerate. You know you had fun!" Erasa said.

Videl cut her eyes at Erasa. "I did not! _Especially_ since you made us look for dresses everywhere, although we found the ones we liked at the second shop we entered! We lost a lot of time doing nothing productive."

Erasa rolled her eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

"It was!"

Erasa crossed her arms. "Say what you want, but I know you liked your dress."

"I never said I didn't," Videl said. "It's a pretty cool dress."

"That's true," Erasa said. "I'm sure you'll prevent your Gohan to date Angela with it. After all, you look _hot_ in it!"

"He's not _my_ Gohan, Erasa!" she yelled with a blush on her cheeks. "I just want to protect my friend, that's all."

Erasa smiled slyly. "Don't you mean ' _boyfriend_ ', Videl?"

Videl rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming."

"Always!" Erasa chirped, although she was sure she was not dreaming this time. _'Videl will admit her feelings at some point. I know she will! And after she does so, I'll make sure that she and Gohan become a couple._ _They'll be the cutest couple in the whole school!'_


	23. Jealousy in the Wedding

Gohan walked towards Videl's mansion with a sigh. He hated to dress formally, and he hated the fact that he would probably see Mr. Satan while picking up Videl. They were going to go to Erasa's house—that was close enough for them to walk—and they would go together with Erasa's family in their car. But, the thought of seeing the man the Z-Team always made fun of was not exactly entertaining for him. He was hoping that he would not have to see the man's face, but he had a gut feeling that he would.

While it was true Gohan was not too familiar with Satan City, it was very hard not to find Videl's house—mainly because the mansion was _huge_ , and the words "SATAN HOUSE" were written in the main gates. _'No wonder why Videl thought my house was little,'_ Gohan thought. _'Anyone who lives here would. This house is huge!'_ He shook his head. He had been in Capsule Corporation and the Saiyan Palace enough times to know what was huge and what not, but this house was pretty loaded for someone that only lied to get his money.

He rang the doorbell and waited patiently. _"Hello?"_ a voice came from the doorbell's intercom. It was a man's voice, but it was definitely not Hercule, and that was a relief for Gohan.

"Hi. My name is Gohan. I came here to pick up Videl."

There was a silence for a moment until the man finally replied. _"Ah, yes. Miss Videl mentioned someone named Gohan would come. I shall inform her of your arrival. Would you like to come in?"_

"Err…" Gohan usually would not have minded, but he wanted to evade Mister Satan at all costs! "I can wait outside."

_"I have already informed Miss Videl of your arrival, and she says that you should come in."_

Gohan sighed. He really did not want to come in, but he did not want to say no to Videl, either. "Fine, I'll come in."

The gates opened to reveal a very beautiful and fancy garden. And, of course, the garden was also huge. _'I never thought Hercule would be a perfectionist when it came to gardens.'_ Gohan chuckled to himself as he walked towards the mansion's doors. Just when he got there, a man opened the door. Gohan guessed that was the man who talked to him through the intercom. "Hi."

"Hello," the man greeted. "Welcome to the Satan House. Miss Videl gave orders for you to wait in the hall."

"Thank you," Gohan said as he followed the man. He was in awe of the huge house. It was definitely tremendous, and fancy too. _'The wonders of havin' money, huh?'_ He stood in the hall, scanning the room with his eyes as he waited patiently for Videl to come down. Just then, Gohan heard a bark. He could swear he had heard that bark somewhere before. _'Could it be…?'_ He turned around to see the cute puppy that had made them company when they were fighting Buu. _'Bee?'_

Bee continued to bark, but his barking was not aggressive or threatening. In fact, his barking seemed to be happy. It was like if Bee recognized him.

"Bee, is that you?" Gohan asked, even though he knew Bee could not answer him with words. Instead, Bee just barked and jumped as if he was saying 'yes'. Gohan smiled. "Bee, it really is you!" Bee barked again happily and ran towards Gohan. The half-Saiyan had always loved animals, so he quickly kneeled down so he could be closer to Bee. It was almost surreal how the dog that he was playing with was that dog Buu always talked about. "Bee," he whispered, "your friend, Buu, is alive and well. And he misses you a lot. I just thought you should know."

Usually, someone would think a dog would not understand what Gohan said. However, it seemed Bee did, because he began to bark happily and licked Gohan's face, much to the demi-Saiyan amusement.

"I see you've become friends with Bee," a voice said.

Gohan turned around and his mind was blown at how Videl looked in her purple dress. Videl was a girl that never used dresses or make-up. She just usually wore baggy clothes. However, she definitely looked fantastic when dressed up for a formal party. She was a girl that was already pretty without using make-up or revealing clothes, so adding make-up and a fancy purple dress just made her that more beautiful. "Hi…"

Videl smiled happily. She was a very observing girl, and she could tell he was amazed at how she looked. It made her really happy and confident as well, even though she wasn't sure why. However, she decided not to show off her excitement and instead play it cool. "Hey, Gohan."

Gohan shook his head to distract himself from his thoughts and come back to real life. He didn't want to look like stupid to the girl that was supposed to be his date. "Hey." He wasn't even sure of what he was supposed to say! _'I guess dates are supposed to praise each other.'_ "You look pretty beautiful," he said, blushing slightly.

Videl blushed as well, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't happy. "Thanks. You look very handsome, too," she said, her blush growing. It was true; he really did look very handsome. Still, it was embarrassing to admit it to him.

It wasn't the first time someone had called Gohan handsome. His mother, aunt, grandmother, Bulma and sometimes other women usually told him that. His sister always said he was handsome, especially when compared to some other guys she saw on TV. Lime also always told him he was pretty handsome, and even though they were only friends, Gohan knew she genuinely meant it. However, none of those times had made him as happy as when Videl said it. _'I really do have a crush on her, huh?'_ "Thanks."

Videl smiled and nodded. "No problem," she said, trying to calm herself down. She could almost feel the blush on her cheeks, and she didn't like it one bit! She had to change the subject to something less embarrassing. "Anyways, we should go. If we don't get on time, Erasa won't let us hear the end of it."

"Yeah." _'And if we go now, maybe I won't have to see Mister Satan. This is great!'_

"Wait a minute!"

Videl turned to where the voice came from to face her father. "What's up, Daddy?"

Gohan sighed when seeing the so-called World Martial Arts Champion standing in the doorway. He was taller than what he expected. His afro didn't seem to be as fake as they once thought, and he looked as if he had been on bed all day. _'He probably has been on bed all day.'_ All in all, he knew that Hercule was standing right in front of him, and he wasn't happy. _'I was so close to not seeing him! Dammit!'_ And, judging by the Champ's face, he wasn't exactly happy to see him, either.

Hercule was so angry! He wasn't angry at his little girl, but at the boy that was her date. He didn't know him, much less trust him. Not to mention that the kid seemed familiar, and the fact he didn't know who he was bothered him. But he tried to act normal for his baby daughter. "Nothing much, Sweetie. I just wanna say goodbye." He smiled at Videl, and then glared at Gohan. "Oh, and also to give a warning…" he seethed as he walked to Gohan. He towered over the teenager, but Gohan didn't really seem intimidated at all, and that angered Hercule. _'If he is tryin' to act tough to get my little girl, then it is not working!'_ "Listen up, Boy!" he bellowed. "I know you are supposed to be my daughter's date, but I warn you, if you do something to my daughter, then you will have to face my wrath! Got it?!"

Gohan looked so unamused when Hercule threatened him. Maybe other boys would be intimidated by the World Champion, but Gohan had a hard time taking the man that was literally bitch-slapped into a mountain by Cell seriously. "Yeah, yeah, sure." He couldn't really blame him for wanting to protect his daughter. _'Videl did say he was overprotective.'_ "I won't do anything bad to her, Sir. Promise."

Usually teenagers treated Mister Satan as some kind of superhero—they probably thought he was one—but Gohan didn't, and that bothered him. It bothered him that that very same boy was his precious Videl's date. And the fact the boy seemed familiar—as if he had seen him somewhere—and that he couldn't connect the dots bothered him even more. There was something about this 'Gohan' he couldn't quite shake, but Hercule didn't have a good feeling about the boy. "How can I be sure?"

"Dad!" Videl snapped. "Gohan won't do anything bad. We're friends. Nothing's gonna happen. You don't have to baby me, anyways! I'm not a little girl anymore! I can take care of myself."

Hercule knew that his daughter was strong and independent enough to protect herself, and that made him very proud. However, nothing in the world would stop him from worrying about his little girl. "I know you are, Sweet Pea. But, I am your father, and I will always worry about you no matter what. And I, as your father, have to take care of you and make sure nothing happens to my little girl!"

_'And he lets his daughter run around defeating criminals while he probably stays in the house relaxing.'_ Gohan couldn't help but think he was being a little hypocrite. _'Then again, Videl is strong enough to defeat any criminal in the city. But why is he so worried about her going with me to a wedding? It's not like I'm gonna kidnap her or anything!'_ But he guessed fathers just were bound to be protective of their children—especially if they were girls. Gohan had seen how his father was with Chimaki. He had always been protective with his family, but he really was kind of a sucker for his daughter. Granted, he wasn't overprotective like Hercule, but he could tell that Goku still saw Chimaki as his little girl. _'I wonder how I'd be if I ever had a daughter…'_

Videl rolled her eyes. "I know, Daddy, but I'm going to a wedding. Nothing is gonna happen, and my friends gonna be there. Besides, I trust Gohan. I already went to his house last weekend and it was fine, remember?" Hercule had basically bombarded her with questions when she came back from Gohan's house, but she somehow was patient enough to assure him that nothing bad had happened over and over again.

"Yes…" But he still didn't trust the boy. He turned to Gohan and, for some reason, felt some kind of déjà vu. _'That boy really is familiar for some reason… but why?'_ "Have I ever met you before?" he asked suddenly.

"Uh…" Gohan had met Hercule, all right—well, kind of. They were both on the Cell Games' arena, but he didn't really have an interaction with the man. Besides, back then, he was in his Super Saiyan form. It was weird that he could even tell he was familiar. _'Maybe he thinks I'm familiar because I resemble Dad or something.'_ "No. No, I don't think we've met."

"Oh, I see…" _'But he really does seem familiar... Where have I seen him before?'_ "You do seem familiar for some reason, Kid."

_'If he finds out Goku is my dad, he will probably not shut up. I don't wanna deal with that right now.'_ He and Videl exchanged glances, and Gohan could tell she was thinking the very same thing. Gohan looked back and Hercule and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I look like someone you've seen somewhere or something."

"Yeah," Videl agreed. She really didn't want her father to know about Gohan's father being Goku if it meant listening to his speech about being the strongest World Champion in history. Besides, she knew her father would criticize Goku, and that wouldn't make Gohan happy. Not to mention that she liked Goku, too, and she definitely didn't want to listen to her father talk trash about him either. "There are so many people in the world. It wouldn't be surprising if Gohan just looked like someone you know."

"I guess," Mister Satan said. _'It makes sense, but for some reason I have a feeling that I have really seen him before…'_ But even if Gohan was familiar to him or not, that wouldn't stop him to give a warning to the boy. "But setting that aside, I want you to know this; if something happens to my precious Videl, the one paying for it will be you!" He pointed his finger right in Gohan's face. "You heard that, Punk?!"

_'How can I not? You're screaming in my face.'_ "Yeah, yeah, I heard. If anything happens to Videl, I'll be the one to pay. No worries. I'll take care of her. After all, I don't want the World Champion to murder me."

Apparently Hercule did not notice the _obvious_ sarcasm in Gohan's voice, because he smirked when the teenage half-Saiyan said that. "Good."

Videl rolled her eyes. She noticed the sarcasm on Gohan's voice, and honestly, she was happy that she wasn't the only one annoyed at her father. She was also impressed that he wasn't treating her father as some kind of god and instead he was actually being sarcastic. It actually made her like him even more! "Now, can you let us go, Dad? We don't wanna be late."

Hercule didn't want to let his little girl go, but he knew she would be angry if he forbade her from going to a wedding with her friends. "Okay…" He hugged his daughter. "Take care of yourself and come home safe, got it?"

"Yeah, Dad. I will." Videl smiled at her father. "Let's go, Gohan!"

"Okay!" Gohan looked to Hercule and forced a smile. "Bye, Sir."

Hercule glared at Gohan before sighing. "Yeah, goodbye." He watched as his daughter left with that teenager that just looked so familiar for some reason. It was really bothering Hercule that he couldn't tell why. The boy had said that they had never met, but Mister Satan didn't trust him enough to know if he was telling the truth or not. _'But, really, where could I have seen him?'_ He began pacing as he pondered. He didn't have many ideas, but after a while, one made its way into his head like a sudden kick. _'Could it be?!'_ Hercule began to panic as he remembered the Golden Warriors from the Cell Games. That 'Gohan' looked so much like the man who fought Cell and his son! _'It can't be. I'm just imagining things. I mean, he isn't even blonde!'_

After convincing himself that he was being foolish and that there was no way Gohan was the Delivery Boy, Hercule decided to go to his room and drink some wine. He would need it if he wanted to distract himself from the idea of Videl going to a wedding with that boy.

* * *

"How are we going to fit in that?!" Sharpner shrieked as he stared at the car they were supposedly using to go to the wedding.

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, you make funny questions, Sharpie. Fitting, of course! It's not like the car is small."

No, it wasn't exactly small. BUT, they were; Gohan, Videl, Sharpner, Erasa, her parents, her older brother and his date. Eight people just didn't fit into that car! "It's not, but we're too many people!" Sharpner argued.

"Hey, at least it's something, Kid," Erasa's brother said. "Be glad our sister got married last year and now doesn't live with us, because if she hadn't, she'd have to go with us now, too."

"I still don't think we'd fit in there…" the blonde teenager muttered.

Gohan and Videl exchanged looks and a message was passed between them. "Hey, if you want, I can on my own for the wedding," Gohan said. "I don't mind. I can always get a cab or something." He could just fly to the wedding, but he couldn't tell them that, so he came up with the cab excuse. It was believable at least.

"I can go with him," Videl said. She was the only one who knew that Gohan could fly, and she was pretty sure that he wouldn't waste any money in a cab when he had that ability. She wouldn't mind going with him if it meant flying. Not to mention, he was supposed to be her date. They had to arrive to the wedding together, right? "I don't mind either. We can figure it out on our own."

"There is no need for you to do that, Dear!" the sweet, cheerful voice of Erasa's mother said. "I am sure we can all fit into this car just fine. We always have. Besides, I don't want you to waste any money in cabs."

"But…" Videl, Gohan and Sharpner tried to argue.

"Ah, come on, guys! Lighten up!" Erasa said. "Mom is right, and besides, the wedding isn't that far."

"I still think we will not fit in that car…" Sharpner muttered.

Gohan sighed. "Well, I tried."

Sharpner, Videl and Gohan were the guests, so they figured they should let Erasa's family get in first. Erasa waved at them. "C'mon, get in!" she called. And so, they entered the car, only to find out that there were only two seats left.

"I knew we wouldn't be able to fit!" Sharpner exclaimed.

Gohan sighed. "I guess someone has to sit on someone else."

Sharpner's face suddenly lightened up. "Yeah!" He grinned at the girls. "I don't mind if you sit on me."

"Count me out," Videl said quickly.

Sharpner's face fell a little when being rejected so quickly, but he then smiled at his blonde haired friend. "Erasa…?"

She was about to open her mouth to say yes, until an idea came into her mind. _'No, wait! Videl should be the one sitting on Gohan. Oh, it would be so romantic!'_ "No, thanks, Sharpie. I kinda wanna have my seat for myself." She grinned at Videl. "Why don't you sit on Gohan, Vi?"

"What?!" Gohan and Videl exclaimed together.

"Yeah!" Erasa was smiling widely. "It won't be so bad. As I said, the wedding is not that far, anyways."

Videl wasn't a fool, and she had an idea of why Erasa suggested that. _'Erasa, you—argh! Why can't she understand that I do NOT have a crush on Gohan?!'_ But she didn't want to cause a scene in front of Erasa's family, so she just sucked it up and sighed. "Fine." She blushed slightly as she sit on Gohan, who seemed to be embarrassed as well. "Sorry."

Gohan was blushing a little, too, but he knew Videl had no choice. "It's fine."

Erasa's father hit the gas and so the car lurched forwards, forcing Videl to sit further back. Both black-haired teenagers blushed at this, but they were trying to keep their cool. There happened to be a speed bump on the street, so the car jumped a little bit, making Videl move slightly. Just when she did that, Gohan noticed some kind of… pressure? _'What is that?'_ he wondered, but then it hit him. _'Oh no…'_ He shouldn't really be surprised. After all, the girl he had a crush on was sitting on top of him, but seriously?! Did it just _have_ to happen now?!

_'Oh, come on!'_ He wanted to be calm, but how could he? He was downright panicking! _'Calm down, calm down, CALM DOWN!'_

"Is it hard?" Erasa asked out of the blue.

Gohan began to panic even more. _'Oh man, please tell me she didn't notice!'_

Videl raised an eyebrow. "Hard?"

_'Don't tell her! Don't tell her!'_

"The seat," Erasa replied. "They're not the best seats ever, are they?"

_'…oh.'_ He could sigh in relief. _'Thanks goodness.'_ But he still had his problem! _'Just think of… of… video games! Yeah, good, innocent video games. Think about playing with 'Maki and Goten. Think about sparring with Dad, or going to outer space, or whatever! Think of Icarus. Think of baseball…'_

"Gohan?" Videl asked.

Gohan began panicking again—and he was just starting to calm down!—but he tried to keep his cool. "What?"

"Why do you keep shifting? Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Gohan wanted to die in that very moment! "Yeah, I'm fine. Really! It's just…" _'Come up with something fast, fast, fast!'_ Luckily they happened to be on a red traffic light. "…there is some dude out there with really weird hair, and I was trying to see him better."

"Really?" Sharpner asked. Just as he was about to try to see, the car started, leaving the traffic light behind. "Oh, damn it. I wanted to see."

"Yeah, sucks," Gohan said, but inside, he was glad that the traffic light turned green just in time. _'This is gonna be a long trip…'_

* * *

"So, who's the guy you wanna date?" a brown-haired teenager with blue asked the orange-haired girl beside him.

"He hasn't arrived yet." Angela pouted. "I don't see him."

"Well, Erasa and the others hasn't arrived yet either," he mused. "I'm pretty sure they'll arrive together."

"I guess." Angela smiled at her date. "Thanks for helping me on this, Max. I can't believe you actually agreed."

When she had met Max earlier that day, they were able to bond pretty quickly. They thought the other was pretty funny, and they had a somewhat similar point of view on relationships. Angela was so happy that she had another friend who was a boy! She was even comfortable enough to tell her about her crush on Gohan. Max decided to help her, and together, they plotted a plan to get Angela be with Gohan.

Max laughed. "Ah, it's okay!" He grinned. "I don't see why not. I mean, you are a hot girl, and you're actually pretty nice. You deserve to have a boyfriend."

"Thanks." She grinned, and when she saw who was entering through the door, her heart began to beat faster and she was extremely excited. "Max, he's here!"

Max looked to the group that came in. He could recognize his cousins, aunt and uncle, but he didn't recognize those other three that were with them. He guessed those were Erasa's friends. Angela had told him that Gohan had black hair, so it was easy to tell who he was. And it wasn't hard to identify Videl—the daughter of the Earth's Savior and the girl that was supposed to be Gohan's date—either. "Great!"

Gohan was so relieved! He was able to calm himself down, and no-one had noticed his little problem. He was glad—he would've been so damn embarrassed if someone found out! He wasn't even comfortable to tell about it to anyone other than himself. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to tell that to Lime! _'But Lime is the only one I'd trust to talk about these things, as embarrassing as it is.'_ Why was he even thinking about that? _'I should just forget about this and act as it never happened. It's just a little detail, anyways.'_

"Come on, guys!" Erasa exclaimed. "Let's say hi to my family while we wait for my cousin to arrive!" Her friends didn't really have much of a choice as she pretty much dragged them to meet her family. And her family was actually pretty huge. It took them a while to say hi to all of her cousins, nieces, nephews, aunt and uncles. Eventually, they ran into Max and Angela. "Max!" She hugged her cousin. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, 'Rasa," he replied and grinned. "Aaaaaaaand what can you tell me 'bout yourself?"

"I am fine, too!" She giggled. "Hi, Angela!"

"Hi, Erasa!" Angela smiled. "Hi, Videl! Hi, Sharpner! Hi, Gohan!" When she looked at Gohan, her eyes sparked and she giggled slightly. _'Oh, my gosh, he looks SO hot!'_

"Hi, Angela." Gohan had to admit, Angela did look pretty. Maybe not as much as Videl—at least in his mind—but that didn't mean she wasn't beautiful.

"Hey," Sharpner waved. _'Woah, she does look hot. Maybe I should date her at one point.'_ But he didn't want to be dumped, so he decided to forget that idea. It was a shame; she was really beautiful.

Erasa looked at Videl's face while she stared at Angela gazing at Gohan and she grinned. _'This is going just as planned!'_ "So, how are you two? Are you getting along?"

"Yeah!" Angela smiled. "You were right. He really is a cool guy!"

Max smirked. "Why, thank you!"

Videl had an idea. _'They kinda seem into each other. Maybe I can spare Gohan by making Angela fall for Erasa's cousin.'_ She smiled. _'That way, Gohan won't have to date Angela, and she'll have a new crush to focus on as well. It's for the greater good!'_

There wasn't more space for any more conversation as the wedding ceremony was going to begin soon. So, everyone got in their seats and watched the groom's huge smile as the pretty bride walked down the aisle. It sure was a pretty ceremony for two people in love.

* * *

After the ceremony ended, they all went to a hotel nearby so that the reception could begin. It was time to eat, and Erasa, Sharpner, Gohan, Videl, Max, Sharpner, Erasa's brother and his date ended up in the same table. Videl, Gohan, Angela and Max didn't really say much. The only ones who were really having a conversation were Sharpner and Erasa's brother, and occasionally Erasa when she tried to get Angela talk to Gohan to make Videl jealous.

When the food arrived, they just ate in silence. It wasn't really that awkward, because everyone was so hungry that they simply concentrated on the food. Gohan was worried that it would get awkward once again after they finished eating, but there wasn't a chance to, because as soon as everyone finished eating, the husband and wife had to dance. Since everyone was watching the couple dance, there wasn't much conversation either.

Eventually, it was time for people to join the dancing. Erasa immediately dragged Sharpner into the dance floor. Erasa's brother and his date soon followed as well. Gohan, Videl, Angela and Max were left alone in the table. Videl didn't really want to be alone in the same table with Angela, because she was sure the other girl would try to flirt with Gohan. Besides, dancing actually seemed fun! "Gohan, let's go to dance."

Gohan really didn't know how to dance, but it'd be better than sitting in the table with such an awkward atmosphere. "Sure."

As soon as they left the table, Max turned to Angela. "So, what do we do?"

Angela sighed. "I wanna be with Gohan, but Videl is always with him. If I wanna be alone with Gohan, we need to distract her."

"I suppose we'll have to take our plan into action then?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Thank you."

Max chuckled. "Stop thanking me. I don't mind doing this. We're friends, aren't we?"

Angela blushed when seeing his mind. She didn't know why. She just did. _'But Gohan is the boy I have a crush on. I can't possibly like Max, too, right?'_ "Yeah, we are. Just friends…"

"Yep." He smiled, and Angela couldn't help but notice that he looked pretty handsome. "So, plan into action then. Let's wait a little, so that it won't be so obvious. For now, you wanna dance?"

Angela couldn't help but smile when he asked. _'Then again, I've always loved cute boys.'_ "Sure!"

After a while dancing, Angela and Max both agreed that it was time to put their plan in action. They both walked towards were Gohan and Videl were along Erasa and Sharpner. "Hey, guys!" Max greeted. Everyone greeted back, although Videl wasn't happy that they came back. She really wasn't comfortable with Angela being so close to Gohan, although she still wasn't sure why. "Hey," Max said to Videl, "you look kinda upset for some reason. Want to get a drink?"

Videl didn't want a drink. She wanted to keep Angela away from Gohan! "No, than—"

"Oh, come on, Vi!" Erasa said. She had an idea of why Max was offering a drink to Videl, and she was totally agreeing to the cause. She didn't remember talking to Max about letting Angela interact with Gohan to make Videl jealous, but she was accepting it! "It's just a drink. Lighten up!"

"But I don't want—"

"Come on!" Max insisted. "We won't take long. I promise I won't make a move or anything." _'Although I wouldn't mind making one.'_

Videl really wanted to say no, but she made the mistake of turning around to see Erasa's Puppy Dog's Eyes. _'Oh, damn it.'_ "Fine. Just a drink."

"Just a drink," Max repeated and smiled. "C'mon, follow me!" he exclaimed, but just when he was leaving, he winked at Angela.

_'Max, you're the best!'_ Angela smiled at him.

_'Yes! Now, all that I need to do is to leave Angela and Gohan alone, and watch the show.'_ "Sharpner?" Erasa called.

"What?"

"Let's go dance!" she exclaimed, getting hold of his arm.

"Again?" he whined.

"Yes, again!" she confirmed, dragging him off to the dancefloor. _'Now it's time for the show to begin!'_

_'This is the moment I've been waiting for! I can't screw this up. This may be my only chance!'_ But Angela wasn't even sure what to say! "So, it seems we're alone now…" _'Great comment, Angela. Fabulous!'_ she told herself sarcastically. _'Why are you so nervous? You may have a crush on him, but you have had conversations with him before!'_

"Yeah…" Gohan wasn't really paying attention to that though. He wasn't really happy that Videl went to get a drink with Max, even though it was obvious that their relationship was just a friendly one. But then again, Videl was his crush. _'I guess that this is how being jealous feels like…'_

Angela wasn't the smartest person in the world, but she could tell Gohan was a little distracted. "Gohan, you okay?"

Gohan blinked. "Okay?" he repeated. "Yeah. I am. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"You just seemed distracted, that's all," she said.

"Oh…" Gohan felt a little guilty for not really paying so much attention to her. He knew he was her crush, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her that he had a crush on another girl. "I'm sorry. I just spaced out. You know, thinking."

"I see." _'I must be boring him. I have to be more fun. I can't throw this chance away!'_ "Wanna dance?"

"Err…" Gohan didn't really like to dance, but he would've felt bad if he said no when she was gazing at him with such hopeful eyes. "Sure."

Angela almost jumped from joy. "Yay!" She grabbed Gohan's arm and dragged him to the dancefloor. "Come on! We gotta hurry up!"

Gohan couldn't help but smile at her excitement. She looked like a little girl. It kind of reminded him of his sister. "Okay."

They danced for a while, and Gohan had to admit he was having fun. Angela was, of course, really happy. The songs they were dancing to were mostly happy songs. But the atmosphere sure changed when the DJ decided to change the music into more romantic songs. Angela couldn't help but blush. She was there, dancing with her crush to romantic songs. What could be more romantic? She had an idea.

Angela built up courage and leaned up to kiss him, but the contact between lips didn't even last a second before Gohan pulled away. She felt her heart ache when he did that. "Gohan…"

"Angela…" He looked at her sad face and felt so guilty, but he didn't want her to have the wrong idea. He never had feelings for her. She was just a friend to him, and besides, he had a crush on someone else. "I'm sorry, but I don't have feelings for you. I still don't. I only see you as a friend."

Angela already knew that, but she felt so sad when he said it! "I know, but…" She bit her lip. She was already tearing up. "I was hoping that, maybe…" She didn't want to cry in front of him, so she wiped her eyes, but she felt tears coming again. She was fighting so hard not to let them fall! "…maybe you'd like me."

"Hey…" Gohan bit his lip. He really didn't want to hurt her, but it was obvious that he did. _'I might as well break her heart now. I mean, I already did, but she has to know that I don't think I'll ever think of her like more than a friend.'_ It was kind of cruel, but making her have fake hope was even crueler. "Listen, I really like you, but just like a friend." He could see the sadness in her eyes, but he forced himself to continue. "And the truth is, I actually have a crush on someone else…"

Angela felt like her heart had just been stabbed when he said that. "You have a crush on someone else…?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. That doesn't mean we can't continue to be friends though. We can."

She was glad that Gohan was still willing to be her friend, but now that she knew Gohan was interested in someone else, she wasn't sure what to do herself. It wasn't the first time that her heart had broken, and she was sure it would eventually heal, but she didn't know how long it would take. "I'm glad about that, but what I am supposed to do now? I mean, if you r-really like someone else…" She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't stop the tears that finally rolled down her cheeks. "…I won't interfere. But, I wanted to have you as my boyfriend so bad, that I'm gonna be lost until I find someone else." She knew herself, and she laughed at how pathetic she could be. "And I don't know how long it'll take me to find him…"

"I think you already found one," Gohan said.

Angela looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Yeah!" He smiled at Angela to try to cheer her up. "I saw how you were with Max today. It's pretty similar of how you act around me."

Angela could be naïve, but she wasn't necessarily stupid. "So you're saying that I have a crush on him?"

Gohan shrugged. He wasn't really sure himself, but at least he was giving Angela some hope after he basically took it away from her by telling her about his crush. "Well, I can't be sure, but maybe you are."

Angela had felt somewhat strange yet happy around him, but she had guessed that it was just because she was a boy-lover. "But how can I have a crush on him when I have a crush on you?"

"You said your relationships usually ended because you ended up falling for other guys while dating someone. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to end up falling for Max while having a crush on me."

"That is true…" _'Maybe I really do have a crush on Max. If I do, then I'll be able to move on from Gohan.'_ "But he doesn't live here," she said. "What's the point on falling in love for someone that you can't be with?"

"There's always the internet," Gohan said. "Besides, who said this will be the last time you two see each other?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Angela wiped her eyes. She still had that huge crush on Gohan, and she was still hurt because he had a crush on someone else, but she was positive she would be able to move on from him—especially if she really did have a crush on Max. "You know, I wanted to seduce you tonight," she admitted, a little embarrassed.

"Well, you'll be changing your victim then!" He grinned. "I'll help you get Max."

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah! I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah…" Angela sighed sadly. "Just friends…"

"Oh, come on! You'll be able to move on from me as soon as you get Max. Don't worry!" he tried to cheer her up. It was the least he could do after he hurt her like that.

"Yeah, that's true." Angela became determined. It saddened her that she wouldn't be able to be with Gohan, but she had hope that she could move on with Max. "By the way, who's the girl you have a crush on?" she asked curiously. One side of her was furious with the girl that prevented Gohan from falling for her, but the other side wanted them to be a couple just so that Gohan could be happy.

"I'm not gonna tell you." He stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

"Aw, come on!" She laughed. "Is it Videl?"

Gohan blinked. "Is it really that obvious?" he asked, blowing away his cover.

"No, but she's the girl you're around the most." Angela couldn't say she was happy. She was furious with Videl for taking her man! But she really did want Gohan to be happy. Besides, it wasn't as if she didn't have any second options. If Gohan was right and she did have a crush on Max, healing her heart and moving on wouldn't be so hard. She knew it from experience. "I think she has a crush on you too."

"Really?" Lime had told him the same thing, but he really wasn't sure.

"Yeah. I mean, she didn't look very happy when we were together."

_'That is true. She never looks happy when Angela and I are together.'_ But did that mean she liked him? As in, like _like_ him? He wasn't sure. Either way, he felt really happy that someone else also thought that his crush may have feelings for him as well. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Yeah…" At least he could hope his crush liked him back, unlike her. Well, at least when it came to Gohan, because she wasn't sure if Max liked her or not. "Do you think Max likes me?"

"I don't know," Gohan replied honestly, but then he smiled. "Why don't you find out?"

Angela grinned. "I will, and if he doesn't like me more than a friend, then I'll be his friend until he eventually falls for me. I just hope he doesn't have a crush on someone else like you do. I don't think I could take a double blow like that one."

"Yeah, well, let's hope he doesn't."

"Yeah." She smiled at Gohan. No matter how hurt she felt, she just couldn't be mad at him. She knew she would have to overcome her huge crush on him, but she was sure that she would do so, eventually. She was just glad that he was still willing to be friends with her. She would always cherish whatever memories she had with him, even if they weren't romantic. Besides, hope wasn't over for her when it came about having a relationship with someone. _'Now I have another boy to focus on!'_


	24. The Flying Lessons

Videl sat in her jet-copter as she flew towards Gohan's house for her first day of training. She was actually very excited to go. She wasn't sure if she was excited because she would learn how to fly—and everyone has dreamt of flying—or because she was going to see Gohan again, even though the last time she saw him was last night. Last night, she had come to a conclusion—a conclusion she probably wouldn't have gotten to without help in the first place.

She did owe Erasa, didn't she?

Because although the blonde girl had done a very dick move, she had everything planned. Erasa knew here well enough to know how she would react in a certain situation, and so she set up a situation in which Videl would finally admit something that she hadn't admitted even to herself.

She still wasn't sure _how_ it happened, but it definitely seemed that it was planned. Videl had seen many plots and crimes to know that. However, she only realized after spending the rest of the night after the wedding thinking about everything that happened. By that time, she had no idea what was going on, and she didn't think anything would be even planned at all. Everything seemed to be just a coincidence, although maybe it was _too_ perfect to be a coincidence.

But, then again, she had plotted, too. However, she didn't exactly think it would work as well as it did, because she didn't think she wasn't the only one with an idea. They had all planned something, and somehow, it all worked out.

And, thinking about it, she did owe Erasa's cousin, too.

Yes, she did.

After all, she probably wouldn't have never realized her feelings if Max hadn't helped her.

_"So, do you like Angela?" Videl asked Max as they both drank their cokes. They were not in the age to drink just yet, so the bartender wouldn't give them anything with alcohol. She didn't really mind—she didn't drink._

_"Well, yeah." Max shrugged. "She's hot and she's nice. I don't see why I wouldn't."_

_'Because she usually dumps her boyfriends, but that is beside the point!' Videl was so excited that there was a chance her plan would work! 'If I get Angela to fall for Max, I can save Gohan from all that drama! It's not like Max would mind. He seems to be similar to Angela in some things. He's perfect for this!' "Don't you want to date her?"_

_Max would've liked to date her, yes. But, she had a crush in someone else and he was helping her with that. He couldn't tell that to Videl though. "I don't know. Maybe she's not into me."_

_"Why would you think that?" Videl thought she knew, but she didn't want Angela's crush on Gohan to prevent Max from trying to get her._

_Max shrugged, but he knew the reason. Angela had told him about her crush. How could he not know? "I think she likes someone else…"_

_"Gohan?" Videl didn't mean to ask and blow her cover like that, but she couldn't stop herself._

_"I don't know." Max began to feel nervous. He didn't want Videl to find out about their plan. "I just know she likes someone."_

_Videl was staring at him with suspicion in her eyes. She had helped the police enough to know when someone wasn't telling the truth. 'There's something fishy here…' "How would you know?"_

_"Well, I just know girls," he replied. He wasn't exactly lying. It was true. Even before Angela told him about her crush, he could tell that she had a thing for a boy. "Been out with enough to know 'em."_

_Videl wasn't really surprised. This guy was related to Erasa after all! "I see." But that didn't stop her from thinking something was not right. She would play along though. She didn't want him to become suspicious of her. "But if she didn't have a crush on anyone, would you try to date her?"_

_Max blinked. He hadn't really thought about that. He lived in the present, and he really didn't concern himself much with what-ifs. But, he immediately had his answer. "Yes. Yeah, of course I would!"_

_Videl couldn't stop the grin that formed on her face. 'This is gonna work!' "Then why don't you ask her out?"_

_"Because she already likes someone?"_

_"That doesn't matter!" Videl didn't mean to sound desperate, but she wanted to save Gohan from the pain of being Angela's boyfriend, or at least that's what she told herself. "Angela is a boy-lover. She has crushes, but she forgets about them pretty quickly! You should take your chance now."_

_Max knew Videl was right, but he had agreed to help Angela to get Gohan. He always kept his word. "I don't think so." He turned his head to where Gohan and Angela were. They weren't dancing anymore, just talking, but they seemed to be having a good time. "She's kinda busy right now."_

_Videl turned her head to where Max was seeing and began seething when she saw Angela with Gohan. She wasn't sure what, but a negative feeling went to her body. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at Angela. She was always uncomfortable with the idea of Gohan and Angela being together, but seeing them so happy made her want to go over there and rip Angela's head off. 'This isn't fair!'_

_"You're jealous."_

_"What?" Blinking, she turned to look at Max who was just staring at her blankly. "What do you mean?"_

_Max began to laugh. "Are you seriously asking me?" He had agreed to distract Videl so that Angela could spend some time alone with Gohan, because Videl was always with him. He had thought it was because Videl was just an over-protective friend. But, seeing her watch while Gohan and Angela talked gave him the real reason. And Videl didn't even know that herself! "You're jealous. You're jealous about Angela being with Gohan. You hate to see them together, and you want to keep them apart. That's why you're asking me to date Angela, isn't it?"_

_"I'm not jealous!" Videl exclaimed. She really didn't think she was jealous, and she stubbornly held onto that idea. "I'm just looking out for a friend, that's all. Angela usually dumps her boyfriends, and I don't want the same thing to happen to Gohan."_

_"Oh, really?" Max raised an eyebrow. "Then why were you so angry that they are together? After all, they're just friends."_

_Videl shrugged. "Because I fear that they may become a couple if they spend too much time together."_

_It was so obvious! Max was having such a hard time believing Videl could be so foolish. He didn't know her very well, but he could tell her feelings. After all, she had dated a girl similar to Videl like a year ago. They were not the same, but still similar enough for him to be able to know the truth. He just needed to make Videl know it herself. "And why is that?" Videl opened her mouth to answer, but he spoke first. "Do not give me the, 'I am looking out for a friend,' bullshit! That's not the reason."_

_Videl was convinced that was the reason. She really was! But Max wasn't the first to question it, and she was curious to know what he believed the reason was. "Then what is it?"_

_"You have a crush on him!"_

_Videl blinked. "What?"_

_"You heard me." Max noticed the look of disbelief on Videl's face and rolled his eyes. 'Why are girls so stubborn?' "Listen, you get jealous every time he's with Angela, and you don't want them to be together. I don't know you well, but I've heard enough about you to know that you wouldn't try to keep them apart just because you don't want Gohan to be burned. There's another reason, and it's the simple fact that you have a fucking crush!"_

_She didn't think she had a crush on Gohan, and she stubbornly held onto that idea. But, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. 'Do I have a crush on Gohan?' She didn't have a lot of experiences with boys, but it was true that Gohan provoked some…_ feelings _in her that she couldn't quite pinpoint. She had never been so interested in someone's life before. She had never felt so over-protective over a boy before. She had never blushed when interacting with a boy. She had never wanted to kiss a boy she knew. She had never thought about having a relationship with one of the boys she knew!_

 _But, ever since Gohan came along, she was starting to have these feelings. She was super interested in finding out about his life—and the Golden Fighter's, but that's because she was curious about his powers—for no real reason other than him being mysterious to her. And he really was mysterious, but perhaps she was the only one who thought so, because no-one else bothered to investigate about Gohan. She had become over-protective with him, especially when Angela was around. She figured that it was because he was her friend, but in all honesty, she probably wouldn't have reacted that way if Sharpner had been Angela's crush_ at all. _Videl had blushed a lot when being around Gohan, especially in that bathroom. And, when she found out he was trying to get his shirt instead of kiss her, she was so disappointed! And then, she began thinking about maybe having Gohan for a boyfriend. No other boy had ever gotten that privilege._

_So, was it true? Did she really have a crush on Gohan? It would be the first time she ever had a crush, so she couldn't really compare to other experiences. But, then again, the fact this was an entirely new experience should be the greatest clue. Maybe she did have a crush. Maybe, Gohan was the first boy that had interested her in that way. Perhaps what Max and Erasa said was true, and she really did like Gohan more than a friend._

_Max watched as Videl spaced out in thought, and he began to get worried. "Uh… Videl?" He waved his hand in front of her face to get her attention._

_"Are you sure?"_

_The brown-haired boy blinked. "What?"_

_"Are you sure…" Videl stared at Max, and to him, it was as if she were staring into her soul. "…that I have a crush on Gohan?"_

_"Well… I don't know for sure, Babe. You're the one who judges," Max told her. "But, I do think you do have a thing for him." He laughed, but it was in jealousy. "Man, somehow two beautiful women like him. That's so unfair…"_

_Videl rolled her eyes. 'Men!' But, now that she had finally started to accept the truth, she had other things to do. "Thanks for helping me realize out my feelings. Now, I really know why I wanna do this." She smirked. She didn't care if Angela had a crush on Gohan, too. She was sure the orange-haired girl would move on soon enough._

_"W-Wait!" Max had helped Videl to realize her feelings, yes. But, that didn't mean he was trying to betray Angela. He gave his word he would help her. So, he grabbed Videl's arm before she could go anywhere. "I don't think it's a good idea if you go to talk to Gohan now." Videl's eyebrow rose at that._

_"Why?"_

_"Well—"_

_"Maxie!"_

_Both Videl and Max turned to see Gohan and Angela walking towards them. They both looked happy—in fact, Angela looked overjoyed. But, they weren't acting as a couple, so neither Max nor Videl could quite understand why she was so happy. However, Angela took no notice of this as she took a hold of Max's arm excitedly. "C'mon, Max, let's go dance!"_

_"B-But what about—?" Max was dumbfounded. He was definitely confused. Angela had her chance to finally talk to Gohan, but why would she throw it away just to look for him?_

_"I'll explain!" she chirped, dragging him away. "But, now, let's dance!"_

_Videl blinked in confusion. "What just happened?"_

_Gohan grinned. "Let's just say, Angela has a thing for Max there, and now she's gonna try to be his friend." Granted, Angela still had feelings for him, but Gohan was sure that she would eventually forget about her feelings for him if the thing between her and Max worked out. He was really hoping for the best. After all, he really did consider Angela as a friend._

_"What?" Videl has actually planned that Angela fell for Max so that she would forget about Gohan, but she hadn't expected it to happen that easily. In fact, she hadn't expected Gohan and Angela herself to be the ones planning it! "Are you serious?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Well, that's great!" She really did mean it, although maybe not for the same reason Gohan did. "I hope they can get together."_

_"Me too." Gohan still had his feelings for Videl, and he had always been kind of a shy kid, so he became slightly nervous because he was alone with her. Maybe it was better if someone else was with them. "Where are Erasa and Sharpner?"_

_"I don't know." Truth to be told, Videl was also starting to feel nervous. Having just realized her feelings, the reality of the situation suddenly hit her like a kick in the face. She was pretty much alone with her crush, and she would be for the next few weeks while he trained her. And, since she had no experience liking boys, she wasn't sure what to do. 'I'll have to ask Erasa later.' "Let's go find them."_

_"Alright."_

And so, they had gone together to get Erasa and Sharpner. Gohan managed to find them rather quickly when sensing their Ki, so it wasn't hard to get to them. They spent the rest of the night together, like they usually did at school or when they hung out, but this time it was different for Videl. The reason? Well, it was because she was finally realizing and accepting that she had a crush on her black-haired friend. And, by the end of the night, she could tell herself that she did like _like_ Son Goku's son.

The World Champion's daughter had a crush on the former World Champion's son.

Fitting, huh?

When the party was about to end and they were going to leave, Videl took Erasa to somewhere more private to finally confess to someone her feelings. Sure, Max knew about it, but he wasn't really her friend. Erasa was her best friend, and besides, she was the one who believed she had a crush on Gohan all along. And she had decided to prove it, too! Videl hated to lose, but she had to admit that she lost against Erasa in that particular case. And she would have had to tell her, eventually, so she did.

_"So, what you wanna tell me, Vi?" Erasa asked curiously. She had an idea, but she didn't want to jump into conclusions. However, she couldn't stop herself from getting hopeful. 'Did my plan work?'_

_"Well…" Telling Erasa wouldn't be such big deal. After all, she was her best friend. That didn't stop Videl from being embarrassed though, although Erasa knew she liked Gohan—before she herself realized it. It would be basically confirming Erasa a fact she already knew. 'Like when the Golden Fighter confirmed he was the Delivery Boy…' "You were right."_

_"I was right?" Erasa repeated, but she couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face. "About what?"_

_Videl knew Erasa was aware of what, but she also knew that the blonde girl wanted her to say it. Hercule's daughter swallowed her pride and admitted the truth. "I think I do have a crush on Gohan…"_

_"I knew it!" Erasa hit the air with her fists excitedly. "I told you so! See?!" She laughed. "I was right!"_

_"Yes, yes, you were." Videl sighed. "And this is my first crush…"_

_Erasa's eyes softened. She understood what Videl was feeling. She had the same feeling when she had her very first crush, too. "Don't be afraid, Vi. Having a crush is nothing bad."_

_"I know…" But it was still extremely strange to Videl. "I'm not used to having one, I guess. I haven't had a lot of crushes like Angela," she laughed slightly, but the mention of the orange-haired girl suddenly reminded her of something. The fact she had a crush on Gohan wasn't the only conclusion the fiery girl had gotten to while in the wedding. There was something else she decoded. "Speaking of Angela, you didn't invite her for Max, did you? You invited her to make me jealous enough to make me realize my feelings."_

_"Well…" Erasa knew Videl would realize it eventually, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. But, it would be pointless to hide it any longer, so she admitted the truth. "Yeah. I admit I did invite her for that. But, the fact Max needed a date also influenced the idea. Although the main reason was to make you jealous—it was for your own good!" She bit her lip and smiled nervously. "Are you mad?"_

_Was she mad? "No." She thought she was, but eventually, she realized that she was… thankful. "I should be, really, but I'm not. I know you did this for me, Erasa. Thanks." She smiled, but then frowned. "Although that was a really dick move you pulled there."_

_Erasa grinned and shrugged. "Yeah, but it was a good plan. It helped you, didn't it?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Poor Angela though," the blonde girl said. "I admit I do feel kinda bad for her. I know that there's no way for her to date Gohan while you're around." No, she did not want Gohan to suffer by being added to the list of Angela's dumped boyfriends, but she did sympathize with the orange-haired girl._

_"Don't worry about her." Videl grinned. "She's trying to get your cousin now."_

_"Max?" Erasa blinked, but then she began to laugh. "Well, can't say I'm surprised!" she admitted with a grin. "Max is a hottie. I can actually see that relationship working. Besides, I don't think Max would be too bothered if he and Angela broke up—if they ever get together, I mean. He is kinda strange."_

_"He's related to you," Videl told her. "Of course he's strange!" She laughed._

_Erasa giggled. "Yeah, I guess." She smiled at her best friend, but then her sweet smile turned into a smirk. "So, ready to go back to Sharpner and_ your _Gohan?"_

 _Videl rolled her eyes, but she smiled anyways. "Yes, I am ready to go to Sharpner and_ my _Gohan."_

_Erasa grinned. "Good!"_

Not long after that, they left the wedding and went home. Gohan walked her home, and eventually told her that he'd see her tomorrow at his house to begin her training. She nodded and said goodbye as well. She watched him leave flying, and she was excited to know that, soon, she would be able to do that, too. She really was excited about it. She was looking forward to it. Besides, her teacher would be Gohan—which made everything better. Not to mention, she liked his family. They were strange, but also fun and they seemed to be a loving family. Videl really thought she would have fun with them.

She didn't really have much time to think about anything else as she saw Gohan's house in the distance. A smile took over her face. She was excited to finally learn how to fly. She was quite impatient, and she had waited the whole week for that day. To know the day finally arrived was great!

She landed near the house and jumped out of the jet-copter. Videl looked around her surroundings. She had been there before, yes, but she always got amazed at the beautiful, natural place. Being a city girl, she wasn't sure if she would ever get used to it. She walked to the front door and knocked. Soon enough, the door was opened, and she was greeted by a smiling Chi-Chi. "Oh! Videl. Hi!"

"Hi, Chi-Chi." Videl smiled. It was still kind of surreal to her that she was speaking with the same woman she had admired, but she was able to act naturally. "Is Gohan around? He told me he would teach me how to fly."

Chi-Chi laughed. "I know he did. We're eating breakfast right now. Come on in!"

Videl smiled and bowed politely. "Thank you."

Videl followed Chi-Chi to the kitchen where Goku, Gohan, Chimaki and Goten were eating whatever was on the table. They were hungry Saiyans after all! But, as soon as Chi-Chi and Videl entered the kitchen, they stopped eating to greet her. "Hey, Videl!" Gohan smiled and waved.

"Hi!" Goten and Chimaki greeted.

"Hey!" Goku smiled. "How are you?"

Videl smiled at Goku. She really did think he was a pretty cool man. He did live up to what people who were fans of him said about him. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Are you hungry?" Chi-Chi inquired as she offered a seat to Videl and then sat in her chair herself.

"No. I ate before coming."

"Well… that means more for us!" Goten cheered as he stuffed his mouth with food. Goku, Gohan and Chimaki followed suit soon after. Chi-Chi rolled her eyes at her family and began eating herself—but she was eating _much_ slower and less than the rest of his family. Videl wasn't even amazed at how much the Son family ate anymore. She just wondered where it all went.

After breakfast, Videl followed Gohan outside to begin her lessons, and Goten and Chimaki joined them. Videl was extremely excited to finally learn how to fly. She couldn't wait! "C'mon, let's start now!" she exclaimed impatiently. "I wanna learn how to fly now!"

"Sheesh, impatient, aren't we?" Gohan crossed his arms and smirked. "You still have to learn to control your Ki first."

"I know. That's why I want to start as soon as possible!"

Chimaki laughed and pointed her finger to her older brother's face. "You heard her, Brother! You better start teachin' her how to fly quickly!"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. Whatever!" He laughed. "Okay, since it seems we are not patient today, we'll begin right now. The first step is to control your Ki. Any idea how to do that?"

"I just learned what Ki was a week ago. Why would I know how to control it?" Videl asked, rolling her blue eyes.

"I know." He grinned. "I just wanted to see if you had an idea or something."

"Nope." Videl crossed her arms. "You're free to explain."

"Okay…" _'I've never taught anyone how to fly before, but I was there when Dad taught our family how to do it. It shouldn't be too hard.'_ "I think it'll be better if we sit down. You'll have to be relaxed when you try to manipulate your Ki, especially the first time." He turned to his siblings. "Hey, this might be kinda boring for you. Maybe it'll be better if you go somewhere else."

"Boring?" Goten repeated.

Chimaki shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But, that's what my notebook is for." She grinned and showed her notebook. "I'll draw while you take care of the boring part. I'm prepared."

Gohan laughed. "I am not surprised."

Goten didn't want to sit around and watch as Videl learned how to control her energy. It did seem boring now that he thought about it. Even his brother said it would be. "I'll just go play with Icarus then." He waved. "Bye! Good luck learning how to control Ki, Videl!" And as soon as he said that, he ran off.

"Thanks." Videl understood that Goten had lived in Mount Paozu his whole life, but she wasn't sure if it was safe for him. "Is it okay that he just ran off on his own?"

"Yup, yup!" Chimaki replied as he sat down in the shade of the nearest tree and leaned back onto the trunk. "Goten can take care of himself. He'll be fine."

Videl was going to question it, but then she remembered last week's hike, and suddenly realized that Goten would be fine. He certainly didn't seem scared, and it looked like he could handle himself. Maybe she was worrying too much, but then again, she wasn't used to life in Mount Paozu at all. "Yeah, I guess he will." She turned to Gohan. "So, Ki?"

"Yeah." Gohan nodded. "Okay, I'll do it slowly, so that you can see it better—controlling Ki, I mean." He chuckled slightly. "The first thing you gotta do is be completely calm. Then, slowly, draw out the power within you." An orb of Ki appeared in between Gohan's hand. Videl's eyes lightened up by its glow. It was like when he showed her Ki in the bathroom.

"Wow." Videl laughed slightly. "I get amazed every time I see it."

"Well, you'll get amazed again, 'cause now is your turn to do it." Gohan stood up and smiled. "C'mon, try it! Remember, be calm."

"Okay…" Videl tried to draw out her energy, but when nothing came out, she began to get frustrated and tried to force it out.

"No, no! Don't force it." Gohan smiled at her, thinking that maybe that would help her, somehow. "You'll never be able to draw out your Ki if you're not relaxed."

Videl didn't know if she could do it. She was so excited to learn how to fly, but suddenly she began to think that maybe she would never be able to control her Ki. And if she couldn't control it, she couldn't learn to fly. Videl hated to cry, but she began to get so worried that her eyes began to water a little. "I have to make this work!" she told Gohan.

Gohan was surprised that a girl as tough as Videl would almost cry because of not being able to control her Ki. But, then again, he supposed Videl wasn't used to losing. "Hey, don't give up! This takes a lot of practice. You won't be able to do it on your first time."

Chimaki was watching from the tree she was leaning onto. She had been drawing, but she had stopped to watch her brother teach his friend how to fly. She saw Videl tear up at the thought of not being able to control her Ki, and she had a déjà vu. She suddenly saw herself all those years ago, when Goku was first teaching her how to control her energy. It was true that it was more natural to Saiyans than to humans, but Chimaki was very young so she hadn't been able to control her Ki on her first try, and she also got very upset about it.

Videl sighed. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Chimaki standing beside her. "That's okay," the younger girl said. "I know what you're thinking. I went through the same thing when I was first learning how to control my Ki. But, with practice, I managed to do it, too." She smiled. "You just gotta keep on trying."

Videl wasn't sure what to feel about the fact a twelve-year-old girl was comforting her, but she guessed that Chimaki was probably one of the very few people that actually understood what she was going through. So, she smiled and determination shinned in her blue eyes. "I will."

She continued to try, but she still wasn't able to draw out her Ki. However, Videl refused to give up. She was going to fly, and nothing was going to stop her from doing so! Gohan continued to give her advice, and Chimaki stayed with them to cheer for Videl. Eventually, they continued until it was lunch time, and Chi-Chi called them to eat.

It was weird to be eating lunch with the Sons, but it felt good to do so. They were sitting on the table on their backyard—at least, the space near the back of their house considering they lived in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a forest all by themselves—and ate Chi-Chi's delicious food. Videl was sure she had never tasted such great food in her life. She had really missed Chi-Chi's cooking after they left Gohan's home. Their cooks were professionals, but they just couldn't compare to Chi-Chi.

Videl thought that she may feel left out, but she actually didn't. Gohan was there, and Chimaki talked to her while they were eating lunch. They were both tomboys interested in fighting, so they actually got along quite well. Videl did think Chimaki was a cool girl. If she ever had a sister in her life—which would actually be possible considering all the women her father slept with—she wished she would be similar to Gohan's sister. _'I just hope that, if I ever have a sister, her mother won't be Piiza,'_ the daughter of Hercule thought with a sneer.

After lunch, the family once again worked together to wash all the dishes and put them in their place, and Videl helped them. She hated housework, but she had to admit it was fun when people helped. Or maybe it was just the Son family who made it fun. She wasn't sure. Either way, she didn't mind helping them—even though there were tons of dishes to take care of. Videl wasn't sure how they managed to wash and put away so many of those so fast.

"So, how long have you been fighting?" Chi-Chi asked Videl curiously as she put away one of the last dishes.

Videl shrugged. "A while now. Dad's been training me ever since Mom left."

"Your mom?" Chi-Chi blinked. Videl never mentioned her mother, and Chi-Chi didn't know anything about her, either. "What happened to her?" The whole Son family was listening to the conversation, and they were all curious to know what happened to Hercule's wife.

Videl didn't like to talk about her mother, but she knew it wasn't Chi-Chi's for not knowing what happened. "She and Dad got divorced, and she died in an accident shortly after."

"I'm sorry about that," Gohan told Videl. He had been curious about Videl's mother, but he hadn't said anything. He really couldn't imagine his life without his mother. It must be horrible to lose her forever. Chimaki and Goten nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. That's a shame," Goku said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Chi-Chi said. "Sorry for bringing it up."

"It's okay." Videl smiled. "You didn't know. I'm already used to her being gone. It's been years. I was like seven back then."

"I also lost my mother at a young age," Chi-Chi told her. "I was much younger than you, and I don't really remember her well, but I did miss having a mother figure." She put her hand on Videl's shoulder. "If you ever need someone to take that place, I'll be there if you want. I know I'll never replace your mother, but I know that you'll need a mother figure. I can be it."

Videl couldn't help but smile. She didn't know Chi-Chi was motherless, too, and she was honored and glad that she was willing to be the mother figure she didn't have. "Thanks, Chi-Chi." She then saw the opportunity to ask for something she had always dreamed of. There hadn't been a good moment to ask her, but for some reason, now it seemed the best. "Can I ask you something?"

Chi-Chi nodded and smiled. "Yes, of course."

"Can we spar?" she asked, surprised everyone. "I've always wanted to fight against you, ever since I was little. But, it's okay if you don't want to. I don't mind."

"No, no. It's okay." In all honesty, Chi-Chi was surprised Videl asked for a fight, but she smiled. Yes, she wasn't as strong as her family, and fighting wasn't really in her blood. But, she had married a Saiyan and had half-Saiyan children with him. She had a family of warriors, and she had become one herself for them. She wasn't as strong as Krillin and Yamcha, but she had decided to begin training again when she saw her husband training their daughter. She was a housewife, yes, but that didn't stop her from being a fighter. "I can fight."

The excited grin that formed on Videl's face couldn't be stopped. _'I am really going to fight my idol!'_ "Great!"

They all went outside to watch the spar between Videl and Chi-Chi. Videl wasn't sure if she would be able to beat Chi-Chi. She was strong and Hercule's daughter, but the older woman was also known to be a very strong martial artist. The simple fact that she was one of the eight who made it past the preliminaries and participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament already proved that fact. But, that was almost eighteen years ago. Maybe Chi-Chi was weaker than she was back then, but Videl strongly doubted it.

After all, she did have a family full of fighters.

Chi-Chi grinned. She could tell she was stronger than Videl. She didn't want to beat the girl too bad, but that didn't mean she would lose. She was too proud to lose to the daughter of Hercule, anyways. And her family knew that, too. They all knew Chi-Chi would win. Gohan wasn't sure how he felt about his crush sparring with his mother, but he guessed it was a good thing. After all, Videl would fight a battle that would probably motivate her to become stronger. Still, he hoped his mother didn't beat Videl too bad.

"Okay, are you ready?" Chi-Chi asked.

"I am!" Videl grinned. She was so excited! "Are you?"

"Yes."

"Then here I come!" Videl rushed to Chi-Chi to attack her, but the older woman dodged her punch, and instead delivered a kick of her own. Videl was quick enough to block it, but it also startled her. _'She's fast!'_ At first she thought that it would've been better to hold back a little just in case, but it was quickly becoming apparent that Chi-Chi was someone to take seriously. Videl would have to fight with everything she had to win the fight, and so she did just that. However, the wife of Goku had trained more years than Hercule's daughter, and she was definitely skilled. Videl was starting to doubt if she could even win, but she wouldn't give up. No way!

After exchanging punches, kicks and other blows, Videl noticed an opening on Chi-Chi's defense. _'This is my chance!'_ Videl delivered the strongest kick she could muster in Chi-Chi's gut, sending the other woman flying. Videl figured Chi-Chi would land harshly, but then stand up again and attack. However, she certainly didn't expect her to stop her body in midair. _'She can fly, too?!'_ She didn't know why she was even surprised. It made sense that she could fly. Her whole family could. But, for some reason, it was still shocking to Videl. "Y-You… you can fly?!"

"Well, yes, I can." Chi-Chi changed positions in midair so that she could put her feet on the ground. "Why? You thought I didn't know?"

"Ju-Just surprised, I guess…"

"Don't be." Chi-Chi smiled. "After all, I am also part of this crazy family. I have to keep up with 'em somehow, you know?"

After the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Chi-Chi had asked Goku to train her. That was kind of an excuse to get to spend more time with him, but she'd had fun. She'd managed to control her Ki and even learn how to fly. It had been how they started dating in the first place, so that was a bonus. But after she'd married Goku, she hadn't really trained much. Sure, she still did train a little, but it was nothing compared to what her husband and son did. Besides, she had to take care of the house and her family.

However, when Goku first began training Chimaki, Chi-Chi had a bit of nostalgia. She would remember when her father trained her back when she was little. She didn't really like training, but after she met Goku, she thought that if she wanted to be his wife, then she should be a warrior, too. So, she asked her father to keep on training her. Ox-King was surprised, but happy as well, and eventually, she began to enjoy her training.

Watching her husband train their daughter suddenly made her realize that she kind of missed training, too. Not to mention she was the only one on the family that wasn't training. She didn't want to be left behind, so she asked her husband to continue train her; like he had back when they first started dating. Goku had been surprised, but he had gladly accepted. She'd managed to progress a lot compared to when she was a teenager, and even after she'd had Goten, she still trained. She wasn't as strong as Krillin or Yamcha, true, but that was because fighting wasn't her main priority. She may have started to train more seriously again, but being a wife and a mother was still more important to her.

Still, she was probably the stronger female human in the world (without counting Android #18, because she is stronger thanks to the fact she is a cyborg), and Chi-Chi was proud of that.

"That's true." _'If Chi-Chi was able to control her Ki and learn how to fly, then so am I!'_ "You're pretty strong. No wonder why they call you the strongest woman in the world."

Chi-Chi laughed. "I am among the strongest women, yes."

Videl smiled. She wasn't really sad or disappointed about her loss. She hadn't been sure if she could beat Chi-Chi from the very start. And now, she felt more determined to learn how to fly and become stronger! "Someday, that title will be mine! For now, I'm just gonna learn how to fly." She turned to Gohan. "C'mon, Gohan! I don't wanna lose any more time! Let's go train!"

Gohan shook his head, but then laughed. "Okay, okay! I'm going! Sheesh."

Videl kept on trying to draw out her Ki. She was trying to relax, and not to get frustrated or tensed up when she failed. She refused to give up. She was going to control her Ki no matter what! She was determined to succeed, and eventually, she was able to finally form an orb of Ki in her hands. Videl stared at her Ki in amazement and happiness, but then she suddenly felt weak and almost passed out.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked worriedly, noticing Videl almost passed out.

"Yes!" Videl's energy seemed to return in a second and she stood up excitedly. "I finally did it! So, can I fly now?!"

"Nope." Gohan laughed. "You may have been able to draw out your Ki, but you still have to learn how to manipulate it better first."

"Darn!" Videl pouted, and Gohan couldn't help but think that she looked cute when she did that. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's continue!"

Gohan tutored Videl on how to manipulate her Ki. He corrected her when she did it wrong, and gave pointers to make it easier for her. Videl was getting kind of tired of trying to manipulate her Ki, but the fact that she knew it was needed if she wanted to fly made her continue. Eventually, she got enough control over her energy to learn how to fly. When Gohan told her this, Videl had been so excited she had jumped in happiness. Gohan demonstrated how to fly, and explained that she had to manipulate her Ki and push it underneath her. Chimaki and Goten were there, too. They were curious to know if Videl would be able to fly or not.

Videl was having a real hard time doing so, but she didn't want to give up. She got tensed-up, so she had to calm herself and remember that she needed to be relaxed. She was concentrating so much, and she didn't want anyone or anything breaking her concentration. She imagined that she was alone, in a calm place, pushing her energy underneath her so that she could fly. It took her a little while, but she slowly started floating.

"That's it!" Gohan cheered. "You're doing it!"

"You go, Girl!" Chimaki grinned.

Videl narrowed her eyes. "Shut up! I need to concentrate!"

Gohan covered his mouth and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," his sister muttered.

Hercule's daughter didn't last long in the air, and she eventually floated back down until her feet touched the floor. She was excited because she was able to float by herself, and she was proud of it, too. She grinned up at Gohan. "I did it!"

"Yes, you did." Gohan was really proud of Videl. For someone who had just learned how to control her Ki that same day, it was impressive that she was able to float by herself, especially since she was a human. "That was great!"

Chimaki clapped. She hadn't really expected Videl to be able to fly that same day, so she was amazed. "I didn't expect you to learn this quick. Congrats!"

"Thanks." Videl smiled in pride. She was so happy she had succeeded! She knew she still had a lot to practice, but she did make a big step. She would be flying in no time! "I'm tired though." She glanced at her clock and sighed. "And it'll take me a while to go home. I better be going now, or Dad is gonna get mad."

"Will you be coming back tomorrow?" Goten asked curiously.

"I need to practice how to fly, so yeah." Videl glanced at Gohan. "Same hour tomorrow?"

"Yep."

Videl said her goodbyes to the Son family, and got into her jet-copter to go make the journey back home. She knew she would fly soon, and she was excited about it. She could already see herself flying around. She wouldn't even need her jet-copter anymore! She was glad Gohan accepted to teach her, because she really was looking forwards to the day she could be like Superman and float all by herself. _'I'll be flying around in no time!'_


	25. Who's That Girl?

Videl landed her jet-copter near the Sons' house for her second day of training. Since she was able to float by herself yesterday—even if it was a little bit and for a short amount of time—she was confident that she would get the hang of flying. Besides, she liked being with Gohan, and his family was cool, too. She walked to the front door and knocked, but there was no reply. She tried again, but still no-one answered. And so she tried again, and again, and again.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock!_

Nothing...

Videl began to worry. Maybe they weren't awake yet? But, yesterday they were eating breakfast at that hour. _'Gohan and I agreed to meet at the same time as yesterday. They have to be around somewhere. Maybe they went hiking?'_

The blue-eyed girl soon had her answer when a shout was heard through the air. "BETCHA CAN'T CATCH ME!"

_'That's Goten!'_ Videl looked around in wonder, trying to find the seven-year-old boy.

"OH YEAH? WELL, THINK AGAIN!" a girl's voice screamed. Videl recognized it immediately as Chimaki's. Her eyes were still searching for the family, but she couldn't find them. She knew they were probably flying around—their voices came from the sky, after all—but she wasn't able to spot them. Eventually, she was able to see an orange spot flying very high and very fast. The spot was followed by one that was purple. They were obviously Goten and Chimaki.

Just when Chimaki was about to catch her little brother, someone suddenly appeared in front of them. "I gotcha!"

"No, Daddy!" Goten yelped and laughed as he tried to get away from his father.

"Get away from me, Dad!" Chimaki exclaimed as she flew near to another person—that was, too, just a little dot in Videl's eyes. "Mom! We gotta get away!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Gohan suddenly cut in as he appeared out of nowhere—in Videl's eyes, at least—and flew towards his mother and sister. "I'm not gonna let you get away!"

"Gohan, don't you dare!" Chi-Chi told him, but she was laughing.

_'There they are.'_ Videl watched as the family played something like tag in the air. They seemed to be just dots to her and she really didn't see much, but she could tell they were having a lot of fun. They were flying so quickly—it was almost surreal. She was jealous, because she was stuck in the ground while they played around while flying. But, she knew that it wouldn't be long until she could join them. _'Soon, I'll be able to fly like them!'_

Goku sensed someone's Ki in front of their house, and looked down to see Videl watching them play. "Gohan, your friend is here."

Gohan glanced down and saw Videl as well. "Oh, you're right!" He quickly flew to her and landed gracefully in front of the blue-eyed girl. "Hey, Videl. Ready for another day of training?"

"You can bet I am!" Videl was motivated to fly just as fast as gracefully as she had seen the Sons do. She knew it was possible for her to do it. She wasn't going to stop until she finally succeeded.

Gohan smiled. "Awesome. Let's go start then."

After Videl had greeted the whole family, she and Gohan went to the same place they had trained the day before to continue her flying lessons. At the beginning, it was still kind of hard for her to float, but she began to get the hang of it. She was starting to hold herself up in the air for longer periods of time, and she could go a little higher. However, the wind made her hair—which was tied in pigtails—get into her face, which made her lose concentration. She tried to ignore it the first few times, but she began grumbling after it became a frequent thing. _'Stupid hair. Why does it have to bother me now?'_

Gohan noticed this as well. "Hey," he began, "maybe you should cut your hair."

Videl looked at him in confusion, and then focused her gaze onto her black hair. "What? Why?" Why would Gohan suggest that? Could it be…? _'Does he like girls with short hair?'_ she wondered and blushed.

"Well, it seems your hair is gettin' in the way when trainin', so maybe it'd be better if you cut it," Gohan explained innocently. "There are people who are used to fight with long hair, but others may find it hard. You could be grabbed by your hair, or it could get in your face, so maybe havin' it short would be an advantage."

"Oh…" Videl was disappointed, but she was still willing to listen to his advice. "So, shorter hair, huh?" His reasons did make sense. Besides, it was Gohan who suggested it. _'Maybe I'll get it cut.'_

"Yeah…" Gohan noticed Videl seemed kind of disappointed and got nervous. "It's… just a suggestion, of course. You don't have to do it if you don't wanna."

"I know." Videl shook her head. "Anyways, let's keep going! I wanna improve quickly."

Gohan laughed. "You really are impatient, huh?" he asked, amused. "Okay. Let's continue."

* * *

"Hey, Chimaki." Lime smiled and waved at the girl as she walked towards her. It was past lunch, and Lime and her parents had gone for a picnic as lunch. After they finished, the teenage girl decided to go visit Gohan since his house was close to where they ate. She walked to the house, and the first person she saw was Gohan's little sister, who was—not surprisingly—drawing a bird in the backyard.

"Lime?" Chimaki blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"I was around here with my parents, and I figured I could come and visit." The girl grinned. "How you been?"

"I'm fine." The daughter of Goku smiled. "What about you?"

"Dandy." Lime laughed. "Where's Gohan?"

"Training Videl." Chimaki shrugged. "He's teaching her how to fly."

Lime's eyes grew wide. "Oh, right…" How could she forget that? Gohan had told her that Videl managed to convince him to give her flying lessons in the weekends. But, she had honestly forgotten about it. "I didn't remember that."

"Yeah, well, it's not that bad. Videl's actually kinda cool."

Lime raised her eyebrow. "Really?" She couldn't believe that Chimaki was saying that about a female friend of Gohan's. Chimaki had been so used to be the only girl—other than their mother and their friends—in her brother's life, so when Lime came along, she was super jealous. She didn't want her big brother to hang around that girl. She felt as if she was taking Gohan away from her. Eventually, Gohan's sister opened up to her, but it took a while. Lime wasn't sure if Chimaki would act similar to that if Gohan ever brought another girl home, but it was a possibility. But, then again, she was older now.

The half-Saiyan girl shrugged. "Yeah."

"I wanna meet her." She wanted to meet Videl because she was the girl her dear friend had a cursh on. She didn't care that Hercule was her father, and she honestly wouldn't have cared about the Champ's family if it wasn't for Gohan liking Mister Satan's daughter. She had been thinking a lot about what Gohan had told her about Videl, and about getting them together. She was willing to let Gohan be with Videl, but Videl had to be approved by her first!

"Not because she is the Champ's daughter, right?" Chimaki asked with a smirk.

"No!" Lime knew the younger girl was kidding, but it was still surprising that she had even suggested that. "Of course not. I couldn't care less whether or not she is related to that fool."

"Good, 'cause it seems Videl hates when people talk to her because of her father."

"Oh?" Lime was surprised about that, but it was actually a pleasant surprise. _'I may actually like this girl.'_

"Yep. I guess I can't really blame her though. She doesn't have a mother. She died when she was a kid. The only family she has is that foolish Hercule. I feel bad for her."

"She's motherless?" Lime could sympathize. She would never forget the pain of when she lost her parents to Cell. However, they were brought back to life with the Dragon Balls. She could still live on with her parents in her life. She suddenly felt terrible for Videl. Losing a parent was indeed painful. "Oh, I am sorry about that." She couldn't believe it, but she was actually starting to have more and more respect for Videl every time she heard more about her. She just hoped that the girl actually lived up to what she was told about her. "I'm gonna go meet her. Where are they?"

Chimaki quickly sensed for her brother's energy. "They're that way."

Lime looked to where Chimaki pointed and smiled. "Awesome. See ya later!" She waved at the girl and walked towards his friend and his would-be girlfriend.

* * *

"New record!" Videl exclaimed as she landed. She was tired from floating, but she was improving and her excitement kept her going. She was definitely much better than what she was in the morning when she arrived.

"Great!" Gohan grinned and high-fived her. "I admit you've impressed me. You're progressing much quicker than what I thought you would."

Videl laughed. "You shouldn't underestimate me, Gohan!" she warned, pointing at him. "You may know all this Ki stuff, but I will learn all this and I will become stronger. You understand?!"

"Yep. I gotcha." He laughed, but then paused. He sensed someone approaching them, and the energy was familiar. "Lime?"

"What?" Videl was confused. He was laughing along with her, but he suddenly got distracted for some reason.

"Uh… No, nothing. It's just I sense a friend coming over here," he explained.

"Sense?" Videl asked dumbfounded. "A _friend_?" For some reason, the fact it was a friend was more surprising to her than the fact he was actually _sensing_ them approach. But, then again, Gohan had told her Ki could be sensed. Maybe that was why she wasn't surprised. Maybe it was because she was still having a hard time believing Gohan had other friends, although she knew he actually did.

"Yeah." Gohan turned to the direction her sensed Lime. "She's gonna be here soon."

Wait a second.

Wait a _fucking_ second.

_She_?

_'It's a girl?'_ Videl didn't know how she felt about that. All she knew is that she was invaded by some feeling—the same feeling she felt when Angela was around Gohan. Some days back, she didn't know what it was. Now, she did, although she hated to admit it.

Jealousy.

She was jealous.

Jealous of someone she didn't even know yet.

But, then again, she didn't know Gohan had a friend that was a _girl_!

"Oh…" Videl shook her head and tried to distract herself from the negative feelings she felt. "A girl, huh…?"

Gohan was a very smart boy, but he was obviously naïve since he wasn't able to notice the slight jealousy in Videl's voice. "Mhm. She's one of my closest friends. I've known her for years now." He saw her in the distance, and smiled. "Look, there she is!" He waved for Lime to see them, not noticing the look on Videl's pretty face. "Lime! Over here!"

Lime grinned when seeing her best friend. "Gohan!" She ran towards him and hugged him. "How are you?"

Videl's eyes grew wide, but then they narrowed as her fists clenched tightly. When Gohan was with Angela, she got jealous, but first—she didn't know that she was—and second—Gohan obviously wasn't interested in her. But, now, Videl didn't know what kind of relationship Gohan and _this_ girl had. And that just made it worse.

But, before Videl could go and separate them, Lime broke from her hug with Gohan and smiled at Videl. "Hi. You must be Videl. Gohan told me a lot about you. I'm Lime." She extended her hand for a friendly handshake.

Videl looked at Lime with critical eyes. She seemed like a country bumpkin, just like Gohan. She probably lived somewhere around Mount Paozu. She had brown hair tied in two braided pigtails, and she had jade green eyes. She was wearing very country-like clothing, but, despite that, she looked pretty. She was indeed a pretty girl, and Videl couldn't help but wonder _what_ the history between Gohan and that girl was.

However, the fact Lime said Gohan had told her about her made Videl happy. She did wonder what Gohan could've said about her, but the fact that he actually thought about her enough to talk about her made her feel a joy inside. Hopefully, he said good things about her. She couldn't imagine Gohan talking crap about her, although a part of her was still worried.

She was uncomfortable with Lime around, but she had to act as normal as possible. She didn't want to act bitchy and bother Gohan, even though she really felt the urge to. "Yeah, that's me. Hi." She shook Lime's hand. _'Maybe I could ask her what Gohan has said about me.'_ "So, Gohan's talked to you about me?" She glanced at Gohan, and he smiled slightly when their eyes met. Videl couldn't help but smile as well, even though her smile was a little one. "What's he said?"

Lime noticed the exchange between Gohan and Videl, and she began to wonder if Videl had feelings for her friend too. She hoped for Gohan's sake that she did. Lime didn't really care about Videl, but she did care about Gohan's happiness. _'I can't tell her everything.'_ Gohan had told her a lot about Videl, even the fact that he had a crush about her. But, she couldn't just go and throw her friend under the bus. What if Videl didn't have feelings for him at all? He would just be hurt, and Lime didn't want that. "He's told me you're a nice girl, and that you're pretty strong. He also told me that you don't care about fame, even though Mr. Satan is your father."

Videl sighed when hearing the last part. "I really don't. People think it's oh-so-awesome to be related to my father, but they don't know what it is. I love my dad, but he's got a huge ego, and it's annoying. Not to mention everyone tries to be my friend because of him, and I hate that. I don't wanna be seen as just Hercule's daughter. I wanna be seen as Videl." _'Why am I telling her this?'_ she questioned herself. She wasn't sure why—she just did. And, honestly, she wasn't sure if it was a good move or not. She shouldn't have said anything! _'At least I know Gohan thinks I'm nice and strong. That's pretty good!'_

But, Lime didn't think badly about Videl because of what she said. In fact, she found new respect for the girl. _'Gohan wasn't kidding. She's nothing like her father. I'm glad.'_ "I respect that," the brown-haired teenager said, surprising the daughter of Hercule. "I don't know what it's like to have a famous father, but I do think it'd suck if everyone just thought of me as his daughter. I'm sure you're much more than that." _'Maybe she really is worthy enough for Gohan. I need to know her more, but right now, she seems as the right one.'_

Videl hadn't been expecting Lime to say she respected her. She had more expected her to start about how she was complaining about being the Savior of Earth's daughter, and tell her she was crazy or ungraceful. But, a part of her was glad that there was someone else that could understand. _'She doesn't seem to idolize my dad. She's more like Gohan in that regard.'_ Then she remembered the real reason this conversation even began. _'Speaking of that, what's the real relationship between them? I gotta find out.'_

Gohan—unaware of what Videl was thinking—nodded in agreement to what Lime said. "Yeah. Dad was famous at some point, but he never really cared about fame, so I don't know how having a famous father is like, either."

Goku was very famous back in the day. He was an idol to a lot of people, and the press was crazy about him and his friends. Goku and the others did give interviews, but they never really took them seriously and the always found a way to fool the interviewers for fun. The last time they were ever interviewed was years ago, back when Gohan was just like one-year-old. Bulma was asked to get her friends to give one interview in a super famous TV program since she knew all of them and could contact them, as well as convince them to actually show up. They explained that they wanted to have a life outside of the world of fame, and asked their fans and the press to please respect their decision. Ever since then, they disappeared from the press' eye.

Gohan was, honestly, glad for that. He liked the life he had, and he honestly didn't think he would be able to deal with the press and the fans. He would much rather live peacefully, in his own world, with his friends and family. It was much better. However, Videl didn't have that option, and he really felt bad about her. People tended to believe that being famous was the greatest thing ever, but, honestly, it wasn't. Famous people are loved—and hated—but they never get privacy. That was the problem, and that was one of the many reasons the Z-Fighters decided to keep away from the press after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.

Reporters that worked with things related to martial arts weren't exactly happy with the Z-Fighters' request. People—mostly martial arts lovers and some others—were obsessed with them and their lives. Even the baby Gohan had showed up in some interviews, and from what he was told, people were obsessed with him. Interviewers loved to ask about the half-Saiyan child, reporters would try to take pictures of him whenever they could, and they would also even go as far as to speculate about what kind of person Gohan would be when he grew up. That was one more thing that made Gohan glad his family and friends took such a decision—he didn't think he could handle so much attention.

"Yeah," Videl replied. "You're lucky for that." She really did envy Gohan for having such a great family. But, at that moment, he wasn't the only person she was jealous of. _'This is my chance.'_ "By the way, how did you guys meet? You seem like good friends."

"We meet near her village back when we were like nine or ten," Gohan told her.

"Yeah, Gohan saved my life," Lime admitted. "I would've drowned if it wasn't for him."

"What? Seriously?" Videl blinked. She hadn't really expected that.

"Mhm. I was on a tree trying to get an apple, but I fell into the river. The current was strong, and I honestly thought I'd die. Gohan saved me though." Lime turned to her best friend with a bright smile. He would always be a hero to her.

Videl noticed this, and she gritted her teeth. She forced herself to calm down before saying, "That's great."

"It is!" Lime squealed. "And ever since then, we've been friends."

Gohan chuckled and nodded. "Yup!"

_'They say they're just friends, but… why do I have this feeling that they're hiding something?'_ Videl shook her head. Maybe it was her jealousy talking. _'Gohan wouldn't lie to me about this. If he says they're friends, it's because they are friends. I shouldn't worry.'_ But, it was easier said than done. She couldn't stop herself from worrying. It was the first time she ever had a crush on someone. She didn't want that someone to be taken away from her, and that meant that she didn't want Gohan to have a girlfriend if it wasn't her. _'But, would I stop him if he had a crush on someone else? I don't know…'_ "That's nice…"

"Yeah." Lime wasn't an expert, but she was starting to believe Videl was jealous. She saw the way she gritted her teeth when she was told how she and Gohan met. She saw the expression in her face. She was trying to act normal, but she seemed to be hiding something else. She had the same thing in her eyes that Chimaki had all those years ago when they first met—jealousy. _'I think she actually does like him! She seems to be good enough. She and Gohan would be able to work it out somehow.'_ She was happy for her friend, and she would make sure everything worked out for Gohan's sake! "Maybe we could be friends, too."

_'Is she seriously asking me to be_ her _friend?'_ Videl didn't know what to think about that. _'Well, if she wants to be friends with me, then maybe she isn't into Gohan in that way. I can't be sure though. Maybe if we're friends, she'll tell me what she actually feels about him. Then I can be sure.'_ "Maybe." _'If she has a crush on Gohan, then there's a chance that she'll be in a relationship with him. I can't let that happen. I don't know what he feels about me, but I definitely don't want him to date another girl!'_

"Hey, it'd be cool if you two were friends," Gohan said with a smile. He hadn't realized Videl's feelings of jealousy, but then again, he was naïve when it came to love. "I think you'd get along."

Lime smiled. She was naïve, yes, but not nearly as much as Gohan. She could tell what Videl was feeling. _'She is so jealous!'_ "I think so, too."

"Yeah…" Videl was tired of that conversation. Everything was perfect until Lime came along. She interrupted her flying lessons, and now she made her feel jealous. It sucked! "I wanna keep practicing how to fly now, though. Sorry, but it really takes a lot of practice. And—well—I am impatient."

Lime could tell that Videl didn't want her there anymore, and she wasn't offended. In fact, she was happy, because it meant that Videl did indeed have some feelings for Gohan. _'He's gonna be so happy!'_ "That's okay," the brown-haired teenager said. "I don't mind. I can tell flying is hard. I'll get going now."

"You sure you don't wanna stay?" Gohan asked her.

The green-eyed girl saw the blue-eyed teenager clench her first in the corner of her eye and smiled. "No, no thanks. I told my parents I'd go back soon. It was nice seeing you!" She hugged the half-Saiyan, and she could practically feel Videl's glare on her. "It was nice meeting you," Lime told Videl politely.

Videl almost snorted, but she stopped herself. "Yeah, you too," she lied.

Lime grinned and winked at Gohan before leaving. _'Go get her, Gohan!'_ "Bye!" She waved, and then walked away.

"See ya!" Gohan waved back. He knew why Lime winked. It was her way to tell him to get Videl. He blushed slightly at the thought. _'Does Lime think I can actually get her or does she just wanna tease me?'_

Videl, however, didn't get the real message. To her, Lime was winking to Gohan as a flirtatious suggestion, and the fact that he blushed slightly just made her believe that even more. _'That bitch!'_ She narrowed her eyes. _'I don't care whether Gohan has feelings for me or not. He's mine!'_ Her sudden possessiveness for him surprised even herself, but then again, she had never had a crush on anyone. She couldn't help but feel protective of the one person that somehow caused those feelings for her.

"So, do we continue?" Gohan asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Videl looked at Gohan, and once she saw his adorable face, whatever anger she had vanished almost instantly. Damn it. She couldn't be mad with him, could she? "Sure." She grinned and bumped her fists. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Videl stood staring at the mirror in her bathroom. She had arrived home after her training with Gohan, and then she ate dinner with her father. She had been thinking non-stop about her meeting with Lime in her way back home, but she was able to distract herself while talking to her father. Usually, she would be bored listening to his endless blabbering about his new business and commercials, but this time, it was surprisingly nice and distracting.

However, when she went to her room and into the bathroom, she was reminded of something—and this time, it actually wasn't about Lime. No. The moment she saw her beautiful, smooth, black hair, she was reminded of something else.

_Gohan noticed how Videl's hair kept getting in her face as she tried to float using her Ki, and how annoyed she was becoming about it. "Hey," he began, "maybe you should cut your hair."_

_Videl looked at him in confusion, and then focused her gaze onto her black hair. "What? Why?" Why would Gohan suggest that? Could it be…? 'Does he like girls with short hair?' she wondered and blushed._

_"Well, it seems your hair is gettin' in the way when trainin', so maybe it'd be better if you cut it," Gohan explained innocently. "There are people who are used to fight with long hair, but others may find it hard. You could be grabbed by your hair, or it could get in your face, so maybe havin' it short would be an advantage."_

_"Oh…" Videl was disappointed, but she was still willing to listen to his advice. "So, shorter hair, huh?" His reasons did make sense. Besides, it was Gohan who suggested it. 'Maybe I'll get it cut.'_

_"Yeah…" Gohan noticed Videl seemed kind of disappointed and got nervous. "It's… just a suggestion, of course. You don't have to do it if you don't wanna."_

_"I know." Videl shook her head. "Anyways, let's keep going! I wanna improve quickly."_

She looked at her hair as she reached out for a pair of scissors. Her black hair was free from their usual pigtails, and it looked pretty. People usually told her that her hair was beautiful just as it was. She did like her hair as well. True, she wasn't as girly as most of the teenagers her age. She was more of a tomboy, but she did take care about her hair. She never really considered cutting it, but it did make sense. She was a fighter, and her hair did bother her sometimes. But, still…

Was it really worth cutting it?

After all, she had never cut it before, even though she had good reasons to do so.

So why should she cut it now?

Just because a boy told her to?

Videl never cared about boys or their opinions, so she shouldn't care about a boy's opinion now.

But, then again, he was Gohan and he was her crush.

And he had suggested it.

But, was it really worth?

Just because Gohan suggested it?

Just because he was her crush?

Was it worth?

She stood there, pondering about it, until she finally came to an ultimate decision.

She cut it.


	26. Reactions

She could feel everyone's eyes on her and she walked through the school halls towards her class. She was used to being the center of attention, so it didn't bother her much. It didn't mean she didn't think it was annoying, but she could live with it. She ignored all her fellow students and went into her classroom, where Erasa and Sharpner sat chatting.

"Hey, guys," she greeted as she walked towards them.

Erasa smiled when hearing her best friend's voice. "Hey, Vide—" she stopped herself and stared at Videl.

"Wh… What happened to your hair?" Sharpner asked, shock in his voice.

Videl rolled her eyes. "I cut it, obviously."

"B-But why?!" Sharpner couldn't understand it. Videl's hair was so pretty. Why did she have to go and cut it? Well, Videl still looked pretty, obviously, but it was definitely unexpected.

Videl blushed slightly when thinking about Gohan, and looked to the side to hide her blush from her friends. "No particular reason…" She sat on her usual spot beside Erasa. "You like it?"

"Yeah!" Erasa smiled. She had been shocked to see Videl with short hair, but this new, wild hairstyle looked good on her friend. "It suits you."

Videl smiled happily. "Great!" _'I wonder what Gohan will think when he sees me…'_

Her answer came around ten minutes later when Gohan entered the classroom. "Yes!" he cheered, holding his fists up. "Not late!"

"Wow. What a miracle!" Sharpner joked.

Gohan laughed, but halted when seeing Videl. "Videl… you cut your hair?" She actually did it? Yes, he had suggested her to cut it, but he hadn't thought that she was actually going to do it. But, he had to admit, he liked the way she looked. It suited her.

"Yeah…" Videl suddenly felt shy for some reason. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah," Gohan replied with a smile. "You look cool. Short hair suits you." And he was the one who had suggested it, anyways!

No-one could've explained the joy the daughter of Hercule felt when Gohan said that. Her eyes lit up with his approval, and her smile widened. "Great!"

Erasa noticed the exchange, and she couldn't help but smile. _'Videl is so into him! She's so happy now that he's said he likes her hair. I think he actually likes her, too! If he does, then they have to get together. I will make sure of it!'_

They chatted for a little longer until the bell rang and their home teacher entered the classroom shortly after. He greeted his students and began the roll call. After he finished, he decided to get the students attention. He had some piece of news to tell them. "Settle down, all of you!" he said loudly over the students' chatter. "I have some information to give you!" He was ignored, and the teacher got angry. "SHUT UP, _NOW_!"

The students quickly shut their mouths.

The teacher sighed, and then smirked. Worked every time! "Good." He turned serious again. "So, as you all know, the school believes we are all one community—one family. As such, we want to be as united as possible—and that includes with your families as well. For that reason, the school has decided to make a… BRING YOUR FAMILY TO SCHOOL DAY!"

The students were quiet for a moment.

Then, one finally managed to open his mouth, to let out a dumbfounded, "What?"

"You heard it!" The teacher grinned. "Next Wednesday, we will have the Bring Your Family to School Day. We are expecting you to bring everyone you can—parents, siblings, everyone!"

"But, my parents have to work," a girl said. "There's no way they'll be able to come."

"Oh, don't worry about that," the teacher told her with a smile. "The school has already thought about that. We've sent emails to all of your parents about this day a very long time ago. Believe me, pretty much all of them have managed to get the day off."

"You're kidding…" a girl whispered in shock.

"Why my parents never told me about this?" a boy muttered.

"Because," the teacher smirked, hearing the comment, "we asked them to please _not_ tell the students. It was a surprise we wanted to give ourselves!" He grinned cheekily. "It will be a day of a lot of fun. Now—if my calculations are correct—the bell will ring." The loud noise of the ringing bell was heard a second after and the teacher laughed. "Well, I was right! See you later, Kids. Have fun!" He waved and left, leaving the dumbfounded students in the classroom.

"Bring… Your Family… to _School_ Day…" Sharpner muttered. "Jeez, and here I thought they couldn't get more cheesy after the Bring Your Childhood Toys to School Day."

Gohan blinked. "There was _actually_ a Bring Your Childhood Toys to School Day?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Sharpner sighed. "Pretty dumb if you ask me."

"Oh my gosh…" Videl buried her face in her hands. "My dad will use this as a chance to show off in front of the whole school! I don't wanna hear the same speech again! This sucks…"

"That's right!" a purple-haired girl chirped. "The World Champion will come to this day, right, Videl?!" she asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately…"

"Hey!" a red-haired boy exclaimed. "Gohan, will your dad come to school, too?"

"I guess."

"Don't you know what this means?!" Everyone looked to the green-eyed boy curiously. "Then that means that two World Martial Arts Champions will meet face-to-face! Hercule Satan and Son Goku—man! That will be the meeting of history!"

"Hey, that's actually right!" Erasa turned to Videl and Gohan. "Your dads will be meeting that day!"

"Oh, no…" Gohan and Videl's eyes met, and they knew they were thinking the same thing. "That's terrible!" Videl wailed.

"What? Why?" Sharpner asked. "Two champs meeting sounds great to me."

"Yeah—to you!" Gohan sighed. "Everyone's gonna turn this into a big thing. They'll probably argue about who's better and they'll demand for our dads to fight. Oh, man, I can picture it…" _'This sucks! Dad ain't gonna care about meeting Videl's dad, but I'm sure Mister Satan is gonna make it a big thing. He's probably gonna challenge Dad. If he accepts, Dad will win, and shit will go down. If he declines, he's gonna be called a coward. Either way, it's gonna be bad. I guess the only option is to accept and lose on purpose, but that sucks, too!'_

"Man, why?" Videl bumped her head on the desk. _'Dad is gonna make this a big thing. I know he will. He's probably gonna challenge Gohan's dad and try to make him look bad. I don't want that to happen. I like Gohan, and Goku was nice as well. I don't want them to be on Dad's radar—but, then again, Goku's been there for years now…'_

"I don't think it'll be that bad," Erasa said, trying to cheer both of her friends up.

"It will be that bad!" both of them argued.

"Sheesh, aren't you pessimistic?" Sharpner questioned with a smirk on his face. He could tell his friends were upset, and he figured that maybe his sarcastic humor could cheer them up.

"Shut up!"

_'Well, I guess not,'_ the blonde boy thought with a sigh.

"Don't worry," Erasa told them soothingly. "Nothing bad will happen. Your dads will probably meet, but that's all. I don't think everyone is gonna make _such_ a big deal about it, and even if they do, it's not like it's gonna be the end of the world."

_'I feel like it will be,'_ the daughter of Mark thought dryly. She exchanged glances with Gohan, and she could tell he was thinking the same thing. _'This sucks…'_

* * *

"Gohan!"

Gohan halted when hearing the familiar voice, and smiled. He hadn't really talked to her since the wedding on Friday. He just hoped everything went well for her. "Hey, Angela."

Angela smiled when seeing him, and noticed something was different. Her heart's pace still quickened when she saw him, but it didn't beat as nearly as fast as it used to before. _'That's a good sign!'_ "Hi! How are you?"

"I'm fine," he replied. He looked over at her carefully. She looked fine, but he could tell there was something different about her. "What about you?"

The orange-haired girl began to get excited as soon as he asked. She couldn't help but remember her weekend, and her smile brightened all the more. "Perfect!"

Gohan blinked, but then he smiled. "Really? Did it work between you and Max?"

"It did!" she squealed. She hadn't been so sure if it would work, but Gohan was proven to be right and she was actually able to get Max. They only knew each other for three days, but somehow, they just knew they could work it out together. "We're dating!"

Gohan's jaw dropped. He had hoped that Max and Angela could work out, but he had never expected it to be so… _quick._ "Seriously?"

"Yes!"

_"Angela," Max said as he walked with the orange-haired teenager in the park. There weren't so many people there, so they were practically alone. "I wanna ask you something."_

_Angela was pretty much skipping beside him. She was pretty happy. Her heart still ached for Gohan's refusal, but it was slowly and steadily starting to heal every time she and Max were together—which was all weekend after the wedding. "What is it?" she asked curiously._

_"I—uh, wanted to know if—well… I—" What was going on with him? Since when it was so hard to ask for something like that? "I'm just wondering if you—well, us—I mean—if we could, um, date?"_

_Angela stopped walking. She was shocked, and dumbfounded as well. "Date?"_

_"Yeah…" Max saw the look on Angela's face, and began to get nervous. "I mean—I know we don't know each other for long and all, and I know I'm leaving later today, but I gotta say I actually like you, and well—maybe this is good for both of us, too, 'cause we both gotta learn how to stay faithful and—"_

_"I've never cheated on anyone!" Angela argued, feeling a little bit offended. Yes, she was a boy-lover and she had a lot of crushes, but she wasn't a whore!_

_"—at least interested, and since we're obviously interested in each other, then this might—um—well—work!" he finished nervously. "Besides, I know you're hurt because of Gohan, but I can help you get over it, and even though we live in different cities, there's still the internet and—"_

_"Max?"_

_Max stopped his rambling and looked at Angela unsurely. "Yeah?"_

_"Stop talking." And she dove directly to his lips. After a while, she separated their lips, but their faces were still extremely close to each other. "By the way, that's a yes," she giggled._

_Max smiled. "Perfect!" His smile turned into a smirk and they began to make out in the middle of the park._

"…Huh." Gohan was dumbfounded. He had not expected that at all! "That's… nice. Kinda quick though…"

"I know." It might've been extremely quick, but she and Max were both quick-to-get-into-relationships kind of people. She wasn't offended that Gohan had a hard time believing it. She had to explain the situation to Kima and Kanteki over and over to make them understand, and even now they were worried—especially Kima. However, they respected her reasons and were happy that she was moving on. "But, maybe this is what I've needed all along, Gohan. I may be able to cure my boy-obsession when my current boyfriend is on another city. I don't wanna cheat on him—that'd be too mean!—so maybe I'll be able to get over this crazy habit of mine of falling in love."

At least, that was what Kima and Kanteki came up with when they were trying to see the positive side of Angela's new relationship.

"Yeah, that's true, I guess." Gohan couldn't help but smile. He was shocked about how fast Angela's new relationship came up, but maybe it was for the best. He was glad she had the chance to be happy. "I'm happy for you. I hope it works out."

"I hope so too!" Angela still had some feelings for the black-haired teen, but they were certainly less than what she felt only the week before. Max had certainly helped her. She was very optimistic about her relationship with him. If it could erase her crush on Gohan, then it could cure her obsession with boys—at least to some extent. "After all, like they say—distance makes the heart grow fonder."

"Yeah, that's true." He would never forget when Kami convinced his father to train in Other World. He didn't see his dad for around eight months, and while he spoke to him sometimes, it wasn't the same. When Goku came back to Earth was probably one of Gohan's happiest moments of his life. He felt as he loved his father even more.

"So, how have you been with… with Videl?" It hurt to even say it, but she was curious. She was still angry with Videl—she was furious!—but she did care about Gohan and his happiness. She really wanted the best for him. Besides, she had Max now. She'd be able to move on soon enough.

"It's been fine." Gohan smiled when remembering their weekend over at his house to train. Videl had certainly surprised him with her progress. He hadn't expected her to be such a fast learner, but she was a determined girl. She wouldn't stop until she succeeded. It also showed him something else—the fact that Videl did care of his opinion. It made him happy. He wasn't sure if it was because she actually had a crush on him or only because he considered his suggestion as a good idea. Either way, it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't suggested it. "Wanna know a secret?"

Angela couldn't stop herself from thinking that the secret was that Gohan and Videl were going out together, and that made her mad, but she wouldn't be sure until he told her. "Yeah, sure. I love gossip!"

Gohan chuckled, then whispered, "You saw Videl's haircut?"

"Yeah." Angela had been surprised to see the daughter of Hercule with short hair. She hadn't expected it at all, and everyone was commenting about it. They all had to make a big deal about something so simple, just because her father was famous.

"Well, I suggested it." He grinned.

Angela blinked. "You did?"

"Mhm."

"Wow…" Angela wasn't close friends with Videl, but she knew her enough to know that the fiery girl wouldn't cut her hair after some boy suggested it. If she did so after Gohan suggested it, then it meant that he meant something to Videl. Maybe, he really did mean something more than a friend. "That means she likes you."

Gohan blinked. "Really?" he asked with hopefulness present in his voice.

It still hurt to see her 'former' crush so interested in another girl, but Angela was sure that she would heal eventually. "Yeah! She wouldn't do something a random person tells her—especially if it's a boy. If she did what you suggested, then it's 'cause you mean something to her."

The half-Saiyan's brain hurried to process the information, and when it did, an honest, happy smile made its way into the handsome boy's face. "That's awesome!"

Angela couldn't stop herself from smiling at his excitement, but she felt a slight pain in her chest. "It is."

Gohan could tell she was still sad, and he was filled with guilt. "Do you still like me?"

"Well, yeah, of course! Not nearly as much as before, but I still have some feelings." Angela laughed at herself. _'How pathetic.'_ "Don't worry. I'll move on soon enough. I'm sure Max can help me do that." She smiled to ease his worry.

Gohan still felt guilty, but he managed to smile. "I'm sure he can. Move on, Angela. I know you can."

"I will." Even though they didn't have a relationship, Gohan would always be in her heart, because he was the first boy that was her friend. He taught her boys and girls could actually be friends without having a relationship, and she would always remember that.

Just then, the bell rang, indicating the break was over. "We better go to class," he told her. "We've got Economy and that teacher is terrible to students that arrive late."

"I know! She's a witch!" Angela whined, causing Gohan to laugh. Together they made their way back to the class, and luckily they arrived just as their teacher was walking towards the classroom. They were glad they could have a conversation. They couldn't just leave everything unsaid, and they were friends after all.

* * *

"Thank you for your help, you two!" the police chief told Videl and the Golden Fighter as his men carried a gang of criminals into the police cars. "These guys have been a problem for a while now. We wouldn't have been able to get 'em without you two."

"It's no problem, Chief." Videl told him. After school, her watch had alerted her of an emergency, and she came immediately to help. And, of course, the Golden Warrior showed up as well to help stop the criminals. Honestly, it didn't take long with the two of them there.

The police chief smiled. "That's good to know. By the way, I like your new haircut, Videl."

Videl ran a hand through her now short hair. "You do?"

"It suits you," Gohan told her. He had always thought that. After all, he was the one who suggested it, but Videl didn't know that he and the Golden Fighter were the same person, and hopefully she wouldn't find out for a while either.

"Thanks." Videl grinned.

"Well, I would love to keep talking, but I have to go now. Got work to do." The police chief waved and walked away, leaving the two teens alone.

"Well, I should get going, too," the Super Saiyan said to Videl.

"Wait!" she told him before he could fly off. "I wanna tell you something."

"What?" he asked curiously.

She smirked. She couldn't wait to see the Golden Fighter's reaction to her words. _'He's gonna be so surprised.'_ "I'm learning how to fly."

Gohan, of course, wasn't surprised at all. He was the one that was teaching her! But, he reminded himself that she had no idea about his alter ago and forced himself to act surprised. "You are?" he asked, feigning shock.

Videl nodded. "That's right!" She pointed her finger to his face. "So don't think you'll be the only one able to fly around! I'm joining that club soon."

"That's impressive!" _'I should ask her about how she is learning how to fly. The Golden Fighter isn't supposed to know about Videl's flying lessons. It would seem suspicious if I didn't seem curious.'_ "How are you learning how to fly though? There's so few people who know how to."

"A friend is teaching me," she told him. "He and his family all know how to fly. He's also quite the fighter, too. And, actually, his fighting style is pretty similar to yours."

_Videl and the Golden Fighter were facing the Red Shark Gang, and they weren't fooling around. That gang caused enough problems already. Kidnapping the Mayor was the last one they would make. "You go fight those guys from the back. I'll take the big one on!" the Golden Fighter told her._

_"No," Videl shook her head. "I'll fight the big guy. You take the other ones on." She turned to look at him, and saw his stance. That stance… That stance what exactly the same one Gohan had used the day before when fighting that thug! She was right! They had the same fighting stance! It wasn't something made by her imagination back when she saw Gohan fight. It was no mistake either. It was true! But how was it possible?_

_"What? But why? I wanna take the big guy on," the golden-haired youth replied, snapping Videl out of her thoughts._

_Despite her surprise, Videl shook her head. "No. This guy's the one that wants to fight my father. I'll get him from that. You get the others."_

_He sighed. "Fine."_

Videl realized she hadn't really questioned either of them about their similar stances. She was sure Gohan didn't know the Golden Fighter, but why would their stances be so similar? Gohan was trained by his father, and Goku used to be famous, so maybe the Golden Fighter based his techniques on his. That made sense, but she wouldn't jump to conclusions. "His name is Gohan. He is actually Son Goku's son." She looked at him curiously. "Is there any reason you fight like them? Gohan says he doesn't know you, but it's so weird that you have so similar techniques."

_'Well, crap. I'm not even surprised. How am I going to explain this?'_ "That's because I am a fan of Son Goku's. I've admired him since I was a boy, and I did my best to model my technique after his. If his son and I have the similar stances, then it means I succeeded." He smiled, but it wasn't exactly genuine. He just hoped Videl didn't notice that. _'What kind of excuse is that?! So, now I'm my own father's number one fan! This is just great.'_

_'So he is a fan of Goku!'_ That actually made sense. She could buy that explanation. Of course that it didn't give her any clue about who the Golden Fighter/Delivery Boy was or where he came from, but it at least explained his fighting technique and a bit of his past. "You did. I met Goku. He really does live up to what people say about him."

Gohan didn't want to give himself away, so when a smile formed in his face, he began to act as it was because he was a fan. "That's great!" He was so glad that his crush respected his father.

Videl suddenly had an idea. "Hey, maybe you could meet him!"

Gohan blinked, and he began to feel nervous. "Meet him?" _'If she's talking about my dad, I could perfectly ask him to act as if he didn't know me. But, if she is talking about me, then that's a problem.'_

"Yeah! You could meet Gohan, and then you could meet his dad as well," she said. "I have a feeling you and Gohan would get along. He's the one who's been teaching me about Ki and all."

_'Shit!'_ Gohan was so nervous! However, he tried his best to act calm. He wouldn't give himself away. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Why not?" she asked curiously, and maybe even a little suspiciously. "I'm sure Gohan would be your friend. Besides, you said you were a fan of Goku's. Why wouldn't you want to meet him?"

_'That's a good question! Why wouldn't I want to meet Dad?! I gotta come up with something, quick!'_ "Because I don't know what I'd do if I met him. It's an honor too great for me." _'That excuse is so lame! Geez, I gotta learn how to come up with better stuff! No wonder Videl discovered most of my secrets…'_

"Don't be ridiculous." Videl rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe he was being so humble. "You save the city from criminals. You're like some kind of superhero. I don't see why you wouldn't deserve to meet your idol."

"You may think that, but I think differently," he told her. _'I have to end this conversation quick before it gets too out of hand.'_ "Listen, I feel that I should think this through. I wouldn't know how to act around someone I've admired my whole life, so I think that I should feel prepared first. Thanks for the offer though. It's really nice of you. Maybe I'll meet your friend sometime, and Son Goku, too." _'And I hope that "sometime" is never.'_ "I have to go now though. I will think about it though. Until the next crime!"

"Bye…" Videl watched dumbfounded as the Golden Warrior took off and left. One part was suspicious of his weird behavior, but the other could sympathize with him. However, she was confused. He acted so weird when she suggested him meeting Gohan and Goku. She wasn't sure if it was because of what he said, or if he was covering something up. Either way, it was suspicious in her curious mind. _'I have to tell Gohan about this._ _Maybe he'll have an idea or two.'_

* * *

"Bring Your Family to School Day," Chimaki repeated her older brother's words with a dull voice.

"That sounds lame," Goten commented.

"It _is_ lame!" Gohan turned to their parents. "They said parents knew about this. How come you never told me?" He knew the teacher said the school asked parents not to tell their children, but he doubted that his parents would care about that. As long as the school didn't find out they had opened their mouths, there would've been no problem to tell him.

"Because, they 'asked with their _hearts_ to _please_ _not_ tell students about this _fantastic_ day, since we want to be the ones to give them such a _marvelous_ surprise'," Chi-Chi quoted and then rolled her eyes. "Honestly, we didn't think it would happen."

"But, it did," Gohan said dryly. "And now we all gotta go to it."

"Do we really?" Chimaki asked. She really didn't want to go to Gohan's school for some family day. Especially since Videl's father would be in it as well.

"We do," Goku said. "After all, they 'wish to ask parents' full collaboration in this special day to make the school community the close and loving family it has always been'." He shook his head.

"They really wrote that?" Gohan asked.

"They did," Chi-Chi told him. "Your father and I laughed the whole time while we were reading it."

"I can imagine that…" Gohan sighed, remembering something. "There's one big problem though."

"What?" they all asked curiously.

"Videl's dad is gonna be there."

Silence.

Then, Chi-Chi broke it. "Please say you're kidding."

Gohan shook his head. "I'm not. Videl said he would most probably come to show off. And now everyone knows that Goku's my dad. Two World Champions meeting is a big thing for them, and they're gonna make sure it is big. I'm pretty sure Hercule's gonna use this as a chance to challenge you, Dad."

Goku shrugged. "I don't really care what he does. If he wanna fight me, fine."

"Yeah, but listen," Gohan told him. "If you win, it will be terrible because everyone thinks Mr. Satan is the strongest, and he being defeated is a big no-no. If you don't accept the challenge to avoid this, he will most likely call you a coward. The only option is to accept and fake you lost, and that sucks!"

Goku hadn't really thought about that. "As much as it sucks, I guess option three is the best one." He hated to give up and lose, but it wouldn't really be a blow to his pride, because he knew he could kill Hercule with only moving a finger. "It'll cause less problems."

"But it's not fair Daddy fakes he lost!" Goten argued.

"It's not, but between that and having to deal with Hercule or his fans, this is better," Chi-Chi told him.

"It's okay. We all know that Dad would win in a real fight," Chimaki said.

"True." Gohan nodded. "So, we are all _excitedly_ waiting for this day?" he asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I am _so_ excited, Son." Goku chuckled. "I _can't_ wait to fight Mister Satan."

"Oh, yes. That fight will be _so_ exciting." Chi-Chi grinned.

"And _so_ fun," Chimaki added.

"It won't be fun," Goten said. He obviously didn't understand the concept of sarcasm. "It'll be dull."

Goku laughed and ruffled his youngest son's hair. "We know. We're just joking."

"Oh, I see," Goten said. "Then, yeah, it will be _super_ fun!" he exclaimed.

Everyone laughed. "Oh, it will," Gohan grinned. Maybe that day wouldn't be so bad with his family around. At least he wouldn't be the only one suffering.

* * *

"Woah! The English department is like at the other side of the school. Miss Hamilton does have to walk a lot, doesn't she?" Gohan mused out loud as he walked with Videl beside him. They were in English class, and Miss Hamilton asked both of them to go look for some papers to the English department. They both agreed, although Videl was the one who knew where the department was. Gohan would've never guessed it was that far.

"Pretty much." Videl noticed there was no-one around, so it was perfect to ask him. "Hey, Gohan, yesterday, after I stopped a crime with the Golden Fighter, I found out something interesting about him."

Gohan almost halted and panicked, but he forced himself to be calm. _'Calm down! You can't give yourself away!'_ he told himself. "Oh, really? What was it?"

"He's a fan of your dad," she told him.

_'I still can't believe I came up with that excuse.'_ But, he did, and now he would have to live with it. "Oh, really?" he feigned surprise. "Woah. So, the superhero that goes around fightin' criminals is Dad's fan? Nice."

"Yeah." Videl wasn't sure if she should tell him about the similarities of their techniques, or how hesitant the Golden Fighter seemed when she offered meeting Gohan and Goku, but then she decided to go for it. _'Maybe Gohan can come up with some answers.'_ "I had noticed your fighting styles were similar, and when I asked him, he told me that he had modeled his technique after you dad's. Can you believe that?"

"Really?" Gohan was so damn nervous! He was feigning his shock quite fine, but he was a nervous wreck inside. "Wow, he really is a dedicated fan, huh…?"

"I guess he is, but that's not all. I thought it'd be a good idea if you met him, since—you know—you both know how to fly and all—and besides, you're his idol's son—but he said no. I don't understand. He said it was because he believed meeting your dad was an honor too big for him, but I don't know if I can believe it. What do you think?" she asked him curiously.

"I… well—" _'I've gotta be really careful with what I say.'_ "—I don't think he's lying. I mean—he supposedly modeled his fighting style to be similar to my father's! He seems to really idolize Dad, and if he does as much as I think he does, then maybe he really _does_ think meeting me or Dad is too much for him." _'I can't believe that excuse is actually helping me! Maybe it wasn't so bad.'_

"You got a point there." But, Videl wasn't fully convinced. _'But, is that really the truth?'_ She really wanted to know, but she knew she wouldn't know unless the Golden Fighter told her. She wished Gohan would know the answer, but he didn't—or at least that's what she thought. _'I guess I should let it slide and wait until the Golden Fighter slips up and tells me. Yeah, I'll do that.'_ She wasn't a patient girl, but she was willing to wait. "I wonder who trained him, though—the Golden Fighter, I mean. After all, he can fly and use Ki."

"Well, there's a lot more people than use Ki than what you think, Videl," Gohan said smoothly. "The Golden Fighter could've learned from any of 'em."

He wasn't exactly lying. There really were a lot of people who used Ki, and that was just on Earth. Mister Satan made people believe Ki were tricks, but that didn't mean that the Ki-users disappeared. They were all still around. They just didn't bother trying to prove something people wouldn't believe no matter what you told them, and it was only because of one man's claims.

"That is true," Videl replied. "I still wonder though." She stopped in front of the door and signalized to it. "There it is."

"Awesome! Let's get the papers and go," Gohan said, knocking the door. As they retrieved the papers and walked back to their classrooms, the half-breed boy couldn't help but think of how close he was to being discovered. _'That was a close one! Better be careful. I may be out of Videl's suspicions, but the Golden Fighter is still one of the most important names in her list.'_


	27. Bring Your Family to School Day!

"I hate you."

"What? Why?"

"Because I do."

"Would you mind giving me a more explanatory response?"

"It's your fault we have to go to this."

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault!"

"It is."

"Why would it be?"

"Because you're the high school student here."

"Maybe I am, but that doesn't make me guilty."

"It does in my mind."

"Aw, c'mon! You think I'm happy about this? 'Cause let me tell you, I'm not."

"We're two then."

"Make that five," Chi-Chi told them, rolling her eyes at her two arguing children. "Also, don't blame your brother for this, Chimaki. It really isn't his fault that we have to go to this thing."

Chimaki stared at her older brother for a moment before sighing and turning to her mother. "I know, Mom. I just really don't wanna go. Besides, it's fun to blame Gohan." She smiled evilly.

"Aw, man." Gohan rolled his eyes and sighed, but his mouth curved upwards into a small smile.

"She ain't gonna let you live with this that easily, Son." Goku laughed, patting his son on his back.

"You know I won't!" Chimaki grinned cheekily. "That's what little sisters are for." Gohan just sighed.

"How long will we have to stay at Gohan's school, Daddy?" Goten asked curiously.

"I've got no idea." Goku chuckled, and the turned to his wife. "Chi?"

Chi-Chi shook her head at her husband, but she couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face. "Oh, I don't know. Some few hours."

" _Hours_?" Goten whined.

"Hey, I have to go there for hours every week," Gohan said. "You be glad you're just going for _one_ day!"

"Whatever, big brother." Chimaki rolled her eyes. "I'm still blaming you for this."

Gohan glared at his sister. "If you wanna blame someone so bad, then blame my philosophy teacher. Either that or Hercule."

Chimaki thought about it, and then shrugged. "Eh, I dunno about your teacher, so I'm blamin' Hercule."

"Do you think that man will be foolish enough to actually challenge you?" Chi-Chi asked her husband.

"I'm pretty sure he is," Goku replied. "Don't worry. I won't do anything that calls too much attention. Well… I'll try, at least."

"Thank you," Gohan told him. "I don't think I'd be able to handle going to school and having to listen about you and Mr. Satan fighting every single day. I probably will, but I guess it could be worse. As long as they don't call you some trickster or anything, it'd be fine enough."

Goku nodded. "Yeah."

"I hope we could actually convince him not to fight though," Gohan said. "It would make things so much better."

Goku shrugged. "We could always try."

"He's right, Gohan. Don't jump into conclusions so soon," Chi-Chi advised, checking her watch. "We should go now though. We're starting to run late. Let's go to the most _entertaining_ day of our lives." They all chuckled at the sarcasm in her voice. Soon enough, the Sons were leaving Mount Paozu to go to Satan City and take part of the high school event none of them wanted to attend.

* * *

_'I knew this would happen.'_ An unamused Videl watched as her father posed in front of his mirror. She had gotten ready to go to school over half an hour ago, but she didn't bother her father until she got bored of waiting. Usually, someone would think that in a house of a man with a daughter, they would be late because the daughter took too long to get ready. However, in the Satan House, that was _not_ the case. The one who was taking _way_ too long was Mr. Satan, who was practicing his "cool" poses and catchphrases to amaze the students and their families. ' _I don't even know why I keep trying…'_ "Dad."

Hercule noticed his daughter leaning against the doorframe of his room and grinned. He didn't seem to notice his daughter's boredom or annoyance even though it was clearly written on her face. "Hey, Videl! How you doin'? You ready to go?"

"I've been ready to go since half an hour ago, Dad," Videl deadpanned. "The one who is wasting time is you."

"I ain't wastin' time," Hercule told his daughter. "I'm just practicin' some of my moves!"

"Whatever you say, Dad." Videl rolled her eyes. "Let's just go, 'kay? We don't wanna be late, do we?"

That was a lie. She _really_ wanted to go to school late. Hell, she didn't want to go to school at all! But, she knew her father wanted to show off in front of the school. He was awfully cheerful about it, too. He really bought his story of being Champion, which—to Videl, at least—was becoming less and less believable. But, it wasn't worth it to question her father's strength now. She had a whole "Bring Your Family to School Day" to worry about— _especially_ since Gohan's dad would be there.

"But, _of course_ we don't!" the Champion exclaimed. "We gotta make a good impression. Man, I'mma show those kids how to be awesome! Right, Videl?"

"I guess." Videl shrugged. She wasn't even gonna argue about what was awesome or not. To her, her father wasn't really _that_ awesome. After meeting Gohan and his family, her whole perspective of awesome changed. Then again, she hadn't really thought her dad was so awesome for a while now, but he didn't need to know that. "Let's just go."

"Okay!" Hercule grinned and walked out of the room.

Videl watched her dad leave and decided to ask him something she had been wondering for a while now. "Hey, Dad…"

Hercule turned around. "Yeah, sweet pea?"

"Say, if you ever ran into a former World Martial Arts Champion," Videl said, "what would you do?"

Hercule began pondering. "What would I do…?" He thought about it for a few seconds before smirking. "Challenge him to a fight of course! _Especially_ if it's one of 'ose dirty tricksters. Someone needs to show 'em their place!" He laughed as he imagined himself winning the fight, but then he got curious as to why Videl would ask that and he raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "How come?"

Videl shrugged. "Just curiosity."

Mister Satan didn't even question his daughter's reply. "Okay then. Just remember, Videl, your dad is the strongest of all!" His booming laughter filled the place again. "Now, let's go, baby girl! We've got some people to impress."

"Yeah…" But, in all honesty, Videl was _dreading_ when they got to school and her father realized that he wasn't the only person around who had won the World Martial Arts Tournament. ' _Shit. This is not gonna be good. Not at all. So not good!'_ She sighed. _'I just hope Dad won't take it too far… but, I know that won't be the case._ _Fuck!'_

Yep, she really was dreading it.

* * *

When they arrived to the school, they had expected the worst. They really did. They spent the whole way to Satan City preparing themselves for the inevitable.

As they walked towards Gohan's classroom, some people recognized Goku and talked to him, but so far, there hadn't been any big reaction. Still, they knew it would happen eventually. It was bound to happen with Mister Satan being there. But, when they arrived to the classroom, Mister Satan was nowhere to be found, which was good for them, but still somewhat worrying.

If he wasn't there, where the hell was he?

Two options: Not at the school, or somewhere else in the school.

Knowing their luck, it was just bound to be second option.

Videl was sitting on her chair when she saw the Son family walk into the classroom. She grinned and walked towards them to greet them.

"Videl, where's your father?" Chi-Chi asked what the whole family was wondering about after Videl had said "hi" to everyone.

"Oh, he's at the auditorium practicing his so-called 'grand' speech." Videl rolled her eyes. "At least he's not here right now, so we're safe. Just… just try not to get near my dad. Hopefully he won't find out you're here."

"Knowing our luck, he will," Gohan said.

"I know," the blue-eyed girl sighed. "I just hope that for once, luck will actually be on our side."

Videl stayed with the Son family and they chatted for a little while. Eventually Sharpner, Erasa, and their families came and joined in the conversation. Sharpner's father recognized Goku and they began talking about the old tournaments. Some other parents and students also talked to him, and Goku was generally nice, but he avoided every single mention of Hercule. It didn't take long until the teacher arrived and told everyone to sit down. He went and said a speech about how glad the school was about sharing such a day with the families and that they hoped they would thoroughly enjoy the day with the other families.

Videl and the Son family doubted that.

When homeroom finished, the teacher told everyone to go to the auditorium for Mister Satan's glorious speech. They all followed the teacher, six people out of the whole group wishing _something_ happened so that the day was cancelled and they could just go home.

While walking, Gohan caught eye of someone. He looked towards his dad and grinned. "Dad," he said, calling Goku's attention. "I got someone I'd like you to meet."

Goku blinked in surprise, but he followed his son nonetheless. Chi-Chi, Chimaki, and Goten followed out of curiosity. Videl had noticed who they were going to talk to and she grinned as she followed the Sons as well. They were about to make a man's dream come true.

"Mister Historia!" Gohan called.

When hearing his name being called, Mr. Historia recognized the voice instantly and smiled, turning around to face his favorite student, and stopping dead in his tracks when he realized who was with Gohan. There was Videl—another of his list of good students—and a woman with a boy and a girl. But, that was not all. The person who surprised him was the man standing beside Gohan. Historia recognized the guy immediately.

It was Son Goku!

_'Oh, my God…'_ Mr. Historia did not know what to even say. _'It really is him. It really is him! It's no joke. Oh, my God!'_

"Hey," Goku greeted with a smile.

"Uh… hi!" Mr. Historia greeted somewhat lamely, shaking Goku's hand almost nervously. He knew Goku would probably be there. He was Gohan's father after all. But, he hadn't expected to actually talk to the guy personally, and he definitely didn't expect Gohan to take his father to him. He suddenly had one more reason for Gohan to be his favorite student. "I'm Historia. I'm Gohan's history teacher."

"Yeah, he told me," Goku replied, grinning at his son before focusing once again on Mr. Historia. "He said you taught the class about the old tournaments. Said you knew a lot about 'em."

"Yeah, well, I'm a fan." The brown-haired man shrugged. He was still nervous about meeting Goku, but he was feeling more at ease around the man. Goku seemed to have that effect of security on people—at least, on people he liked. Mr. Historia's brown eyes landed on Chi-Chi, and he smiled. "You must be Chi-Chi. You participated in the tournament, too."

"I did," Chi-Chi replied with a smile. "Nice to see someone actually remembers."

"Well, I went to the tournaments myself. It's kind of hard to forget what I saw with my own eyes," Mr. Historia said. "You guys were the best fighters I've seen in my life. It was quite the show."

"That it was," Chi-Chi agreed, and Goku laughed.

Mr. Historia chuckled too and looked at Goten and Chimaki. "And you guys must be Gohan's siblings."

"Yeah, we are." Chimaki grinned. "I'm Chimaki."

"I'm Goten," Goten told him.

The brown-eyed man smiled. "Nice to meet you two. So, are you guys into martial arts?"

"Yeah!" Goten cheered.

"Of course," Chimaki replied.

"It's in the family," Gohan told his teacher.

"I'll say." Mr. Historia laughed. He turned to Goku and built up the courage to ask what he always wondered. He had asked the question to Gohan before, but there hadn't been much time so Gohan gave him a more general answer. Besides, he wanted to hear it from his idol. "I'm curious. What happened after the 23rd Tournament? I know you decided to stay away from the press, and I think that's really brave of you all to say, but then you just disappeared and never showed up again."

"We moved on with our lives," Goku told him. "We wanted privacy, so we asked for it and got it."

"As I said, that's really brave of you," Mr. Historia commented. "Not all famous people would do that. Then again, I guess most famous people are used to being the center of attention by now. But, at least their fans can know about their idols. I'll admit it was kind of disappointing for me as a fan when you vanished."

"Aw, well." Goku grinned. "We could always fill you in with our lives now."

"Really?" Mr. Historia was being honest, but he honestly didn't expect that Goku would offer to tell him about their lives. As a fan, he was honored. But, he didn't want to waste Goku's time. "I'm honored, but I don't wanna be a bother. You have to go to the auditorium, and well..."

"No one will miss us," Videl assured him.

Gohan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's right."

"We'd rather stay here talking to you than sitting over there with everyone else," Goku told him with a smile. "Really, it's no problem. If anything, it's better for us."

The Sons and Videl nodded in agreement.

Mr. Historia blinked, but then he smiled. "I see I'm not the only one who's not really interested in Mr. Satan's speech." He laughed. "No offense," he added, addressing Videl.

Videl laughed. "None taken. I'm not interested in Dad's speech either, Mr. Historia."

"None of us are. He's dull," Chimaki deadpanned, and everyone chuckled.

Mr. Historia grinned. He was so happy that he finally met his idol and that he wouldn't be alone in escaping the auditorium. Everyone had gone there, and for a second, Mister Historia thought he would be the one teacher that would not show up, at least for Hercule's speech. He just couldn't believe that he would be in the company of Son Goku, his family, and Videl. So far it had been a really good day in Mr. Historia's life. "Come on, let's go somewhere more comfortable if you want to. We can get some food, my treat."

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen Mr. Historia talk so much," Gohan commented to Videl with a chuckle as they walked in the school's hallway. "And, he usually talks a lot in class."

"That's obvious, Gohan. He just met his idol. _Of course_ he's gonna be more talkative than usual," Videl told him.

"I guess you're right," Gohan shrugged.

The Sons, Videl, and Mr. Historia went to the cafeteria to get some snacks while everyone else was at the auditorium listening to Hercule's speech. They spent the time talking and, honestly, it was a really entertaining conversation. Of course, Gohan and his family didn't tell Videl and Mr. Historia about aliens and their adventures to save the world from Frieza and other threats, but they could at least talk about ki and training without hiding so much. It was pretty pleasant. It was refreshing to be able to talk about ki to a stranger without being called "tricksters."

Even after everyone left the auditorium, they still stayed talking. "Bring Your Family to School Day" wasn't a day with actual classes—it was mostly activities to enjoy as a family—so they guessed it didn't really matter if they were there or not. The only reason Gohan and Videl had left the group was because they had wanted to get some popcorn and there wasn't any in the cafeteria.

When they arrived to the school's main yard, they were amazed at the amount of people.

"Wow," Gohan breathed. "There's so many people."

"Some families are way too big," Videl commented, watching a family of around twelve people. For a second she thought that they weren't even a family, but everyone pretty much looked the same among the group so they just _had_ to be related. "I don't think I'd like to have so many kids."

Gohan glanced at her before looking at the family Videl was watching and chuckled slightly. "That's a little way too much kids, yeah."

"Do you want kids in the future?" Videl wondered. _'And here I am, asking my crush if he wants to have kids in the future. Geez, if I didn't know better I'd say I wanna get married with him.'_

"Yeah," Gohan replied honestly. "One, two, maybe three. What about you?"

"Same," Videl shrugged. "Wouldn't mind to have more than one, but that doesn't mean I'd have more than five. That's way too much kids and way too much work."

"I bet."

They got to the popcorn booth and bought their food. The guy at the booth seemed surprised at the amount of popcorn they bought, but Gohan and Videl explained that they were going to share the popcorn with other people. They weren't lying. Goten and Chimaki had both wanted to eat some popcorn as well. Both teenagers had their hands full as they carried the popcorn.

"Hey, hey! Gohan! Videl!"

Gohan and Videl turned around to see Erasa and Sharpner walking towards them.

"Where were you?" Erasa asked when reaching her friends. She had noticed that during Mr. Satan's speech the Son family and Videl didn't show up, and she was curious to know why.

"With Mr. Historia," Videl answered. "We ran into him and ended up talking instead of going to the auditorium to hear my dad's dull speech."

"You mean your dad's _awesome_ speech," Sharpner corrected. Videl just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I see," Erasa said. "Well, you didn't really miss much other than, you know, seeing the Champ. But, I guess Videl sees him all the time so that's nothing to her."

"It really is not," Videl muttered.

Gohan shrugged. "Well, I can't say I care that I missed Mr. Satan's speech, 'cause honestly, I don't."

"Of course you don't." Sharpner shook his head. "What's with all that popcorn anyways?"

"We got hungry," Gohan explained.

"Yeah, and we offered to look for some popcorn," Videl further elaborated. "We should get going though. We don't wanna make Gohan's siblings wait."

"That's okay," Erasa said. "But, don't you two think you can stay like antisocials all day. You gotta come out and enjoy the activities as well!"

"Yeah, sure," Videl said.

"Alright, we should go," Gohan said. "Well, see you guys later."

"A'ight," Sharpner replied.

Before Gohan and Videl left, Erasa winked at her best friend. _'This is your chance, Videl. Go get 'im, Girl!'_

_'What, does she seriously think I can get him right now?'_ Videl thought after she noticed Erasa's wink. _'I love her, but that's just ridiculous. Although I guess I'm getting closer to Gohan now. Maybe I do have a chance. But, still, now's not the time. Or, at least, I think it's not the time.'_ Although she was chatting with Gohan or their way back to the cafeteria, her mind was still focused on whether it was the right time or not.

Sometimes, Videl just hated her brain.

* * *

Hercule was having the time of his life. How could he not? Everyone was worshiping him. He loved the attention. He had always loved it. It really boosted his already huge ego.

There was just one thing that was bothering him—the fact Videl wasn't around—but he guessed she just was hanging out with her friends. Even though it worried him that he hadn't seen Videl ever since they arrived at the school and he got surrounded by his fans, he knew she could take care of herself at school and he knew there were no boys to worry about.

At least, that was what he told himself. After all, women were all romantic and their eyes got all shiny with huge smiles on their faces when they were enamored, and he hadn't seen any of that in his tough daughter. So, yeah, he had nothing to worry about.

Someone would think that after so many autographs, photographs, questions and camera flashes that Mr. Satan would get tired of it, but he didn't. He loved the feeling, unlike Videl, who would much rather stay away from the spotlight. Hercule was never sure why she was like that, but he figured that it was something she got from her mom. After all, his ex-wife never liked to be the center of attention either. He could see her in his daughter.

Hercule shook his head, trying to stop thinking about his ex-wife. Instead, he focused on whatever the fans were telling him. He couldn't tell much what they were saying considering they all spoke at the same time, but at least it was distracting.

"Mr. Satan! Have you heard that Son Goku is a parent here, too?" a parent asked, and the whole crowd went quiet when he asked that question.

"What?!" Hercule questioned, caught off guard. He had _not_ been expecting that! _'That punk is here? And, I didn't know?!'_ "He's here?"

"Yeah!" This time it was a mother who answered. "My son told me about him. He's the father of someone named Gohan."

"Gohan?" _'That name sounds familiar, but where have I heard it…?'_

"He actually is friends with Videl, Mister Satan," a girl said. "They hang out together all the time."

That was all Hercule needed to know to remember. _'Gohan! That's it! Videl went to his house some weeks ago. That means… that means Videl went to_ Son Goku's _house? And she didn't tell me about it?!'_ He couldn't understand how his precious baby girl would keep something like that from him! _'She has probably known all along that Son Goku would be here. She's friends with that punk's kid, she went to_ his house _, and she dares hide that from me! She's probably dating that buster for all I know!'_

Even though Videl had assured him a thousand times over that Gohan was just her friend and nothing happened while she was at his house when he questioned her about it, he couldn't be sure if she was telling the truth since she hid the fact that she knew Goku from him. Hercule was kind of hurt. He couldn't understand why his baby girl would hide things from him. It was still hard for him to accept Videl was a teenager. To him, she was still a three-year old who always told her daddy everything.

He and Videl were definitely having one long talk.

"Uh, Mister Satan…?" The girl waved her hand in front of his face.

Hercule blinked. Apparently, he had gotten caught up with his thoughts. "Uh, oh, sorry," he apologized. "I zoned out for a second there, sorry."

"Why?" a boy asked.

_'I gotta come up with something good for the audience.'_ "Well, because I was thinking about strategies I could use when I challenge Son Goku into a fight!"

The audience got excited. "Really?!"

"Of course!" Hercule put on the biggest shit-eating grin he could manage. "Just bring him to me and we'll fight!" _'And then I will finally prove publicly that I can defeat those tricksters and everyone will love me even more! It will also show Videl that she's hanging out with the wrong crowd. My poor girl probably hasn't even noticed it! I just hope she hasn't bought any of their super powers bullshit.'_

* * *

After a while of more random conversation with Mr. Historia, the Sons and Videl decided to take Erasa's advice and they went to enjoy the school activities. They said goodbye to the history teacher and went to the main yard where the activities were being held. It was full of people, but they expected that.

What they didn't expect was that everyone stopped whatever they were doing as soon as they arrived and began to stare and murmur. If it had been just a few people, it probably wouldn't be so obvious, but everyone was doing it and the Sons and Videl found themselves wondering _why_ everyone was acting that way around them. Was it because they hadn't been around?

"Hey, what's going on?" Videl questioned, getting tired of everyone observing her and her friends and not even knowing why exactly.

"Honestly, no clue," Gohan replied, glancing at the people surrounding them.

The stares only seemed to intensify. Ecstatic whispers followed soon after until finally, someone rushed forward, stumbling in his steps.

"You're the previous champion Son Goku, right?!" the teenager exclaimed, eyes shining. "Is it true you're gonna fight Hercule today?"

It was like a dam breaking. All at once, people rushed forward, hurling questions at the unsuspecting family.

"I... what?" Goku blinked.

They had all expected Hercule to want a fight—which was one of the reasons why they decided to stay away from the activities for so long—but they weren't sure when everyone assumed the fight was actually going to happen. Hercule wasn't even supposed to know they were there.

"So it's true!" The youth spun, shouting towards everyone. "Everyone! He and Hercule are officially going to battle today!"

Obviously, he was jumping to conclusions, but the effect was immediate. A roar erupted from the crowd, all screaming for a fight. As one entity, they pressed closer, surrounding the Sons.

"I never said—" Goku loved to fight and he could understand why everyone was so excited, but he didn't want to fight Hercule at all. That would be too boring, and it would bring a lot of problems to Gohan. But, he was sure that whatever he said would fall on deaf ears as the crowd cheered for a fight. "Man..."

Videl was getting tired of the loud cheers. It was bad enough that everyone just assumed her dad and Goku would fight. It would be worse if they actually did fight! "Hey, stop it, will you?! No-one's fighting today!"

It was too late. People were in a frenzy, chatting excitedly in groups. It was getting out of control, and Videl and the Son family weren't sure what to do.

* * *

From the male teachers' bathroom in the hallway that connected to the main yard, Hercule straightened his champion belt, splayed proudly across his waist. "Ha! I bet that Son Goku will be too scared to face me!" He threw his head back, laughing boisterously. "I'll show him exactly who the real champ around here is!"

Once he proved that the almighty Hercule truly was the best and surpassed those before him, the world would worship him. Well, worship him even more than they already did.

The sound of scrambling feet came from behind him.

"Mr. Satan!" some butler he forgot the name of said. "I just got news of something important."

Hercule's eyes were still glued to his reflection. He stroked his handsome, stubbly chin. "Hurry and spit it out! I'm busy, ya know!"

He struck an outlandish pose in the mirror.

The butler coughed. "Son Goku has been reported to have been seen—"

"WHAT?" Hercule hollered, grabbing the poor man by the shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Where is he?!"

"A-at the festivities, Sir."

With that, Hercule sprinted away. Now was his chance! The moment when he would finally defeat Goku and bag another victory to feed the press! His heart sped up in gleeful anticipation, and when he was finally arriving at the scene, he could hear his darling Videl's voice in the near distance.

"Hey, stop it, will you?! No one's fighting today!"

At that moment, Hercule burst through the door in all his glory.

"You're wrong, Videl," he boomed dramatically. In fluid motions just like he had practiced, he spun and high-kicked before landing at a stop with his hands outstretched. "There _will_ be a fight today!"

The crowd 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed.

"Oh, for the love of—" Videl couldn't describe how much she wanted to punch her father in that moment. "Dad!"

"Don't worry, sweet pea!" Hercule rose, throwing out two peace signs. Smugly, he grinned. His sheer, glorious aura would surely intimidate his opponent. "The Champ never loses! Now, where is—"

At that moment, the inexplicable happened.

Right as Hercule's eyes skimmed over the adoring crowd, one lone woman caught his eye. Just like that, the world fell away in a blur of colors and the words died on his lips.

Angels sang in the background.

She was wreathed in a veil of light as she turned to face him, her large, doe eyes widening in surprise. The dress she wore fanned out like a goddess descended, and her dark, lustrous hair framed skin as smooth and porcelain as the moon.

She brushed a strand away, and Hercule's heart tightened into something he hadn't felt in years. It was as if he was shot by Cupid himself.

He was... he was...

If only he were that glove upon her cheek!

And, oh yes. With one look, Son Chi-Chi had completely enamored the (supposed) World Savior.

He was so into his own little world that he didn't realize when a guy waved his hand in front of his face. "Uh… Mr. Satan?"

"Huh? Wuh?" Hercule said intelligently. His surroundings fast forwarded again and he blinked, all too aware at the hundreds of eyes staring at him. Ripping his gaze away from the unknown beauty, he coughed before making a U-turn through the door he just came from. "I'll be right back!"

He ran back to the bathroom, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

Dear kami, who was that woman?! Steeling his racing heartbeat, Hercule frantically combed back his afro. Snapping out his portable mirror, he made sure that not even a speck of food was wedged between his teeth.

"You look good, Champ," Hercule assured himself. He smoothed his clothes—especially his medal. It never took a lot for him to impress a lady, and with one look at the gorgeous stranger, he was smitten.

All that was left was to defeat Goku and impress her!

With vigor, he dashed out, smashing the door down right in front of Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Chi.

"Who called your champion?!" Hercule hollered, running through a series of his best poses. The crowd went wild, cheering his name. Basking in the glow of glory, he grinned, throwing his arms up. "That's right, people! I, Savior of the World, challenge Son Goku to a fight."

Hercule would make sure that all those tricksters were exactly that: nothing more than phonies. He'd prove what real strength was! Staring triumphantly through the sea of faces, he shouted, "Now step up and reveal yourself, Goku! Or are you a coward?"

The crowd turned to look at the Saiyan, wondering what he would say. Gohan and Videl looked at him as well, awaiting a response, nervous of what could happen if they fathers did fight.

"No," Goku replied slowly. "But, that doesn't mean I'm interested in fightin' you."

For a moment, Hercule was at loss of words. Was he just... rejected? When it processed, his teeth gnashed together. That was unacceptable! No one stood up to the champion, must less denied him.

Face rubicund, he pointed accusingly at Goku with dramatic flourish. "Ah, too scared to fight me, huh? I demand a contest to show who is best," he insisted. But, obviously, everyone knew it was him.

Goku sighed. "Why? The tournament is in a few weeks, man. We can fight then."

If he could convince Mr. Satan to fight another day, it would save his son and his friend the trouble. And, it would save them from the headache, and he wouldn't be called a coward because he wasn't exactly declining the match, only postponing it.

Besides, he really wasn't interested in fighting Hercule. He and his family had agreed that accepting the challenge and faking he lost would be the better option, but maybe there actually _was_ another way. It was weird to think that _he_ was avoiding a fight, but he wasn't interested in fighting someone he knew he could beat while barely moving a finger. He really would avoid fighting the man if he could, even though he was sure it would be hard to convince the "Champ." He could still try though, at least for Gohan's sake. He told him so when they left their house in the morning.

"Dad, he's right!" Videl said through gritted teeth. She immediately understood what Goku was trying to do, so she went and joined the conversation to help him. Her father didn't understand the problems it could cause her and Gohan if he fought Goku, and not to mention that the Son family would be affected by it as well. Her father wouldn't accept a tie; it was win or lose, and any one of those options would cause comments. It was better if they didn't fight at all. She was so glad that tournament was soon, and Videl wanted to kick herself for forgetting about it in the first place. The tournament argument may convince her father about changing his stubborn mind. "You can fight in the tournament. It doesn't have to be here!"

Hercule clenched his teeth stubbornly. He wanted to expose those tricksters as quickly as possible. But, they had a point. There would be more people at the tournament, and they would see who the better fighter was.

Puffing out his chest, Hercule nodded. "Fine," he said, "but, no copping out, ya hear? I'll wait for you in the ring. You better last long enough to fight me!"

Bah, Goku looked pretty weak, anyways! And for some reason, the unknown beauty was beside him. Catching her eye, he gave her his most charming grin.

Chi-Chi pursed her lips in distaste, not the least bit impressed. "What an obnoxious man," she muttered to Goku.

And with those words, Hercule could already picture his heart shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. He was once again so caught up in his own thoughts about being rejected by his newest crush that he didn't realize that his daughter and her friend sighed in relief thanks to the fact that their fathers weren't fighting and smiled at each other.

Gohan and Videl were so afraid that the fight would be something inevitable—truth be told they were surprised that they managed to convince Mister Satan to wait until the tournament—and now, it seemed ever since they found out about the "Bring Your Family to School Day," their worrying was worthless and a waste of time. But, they definitely weren't complaining.

It seemed luck was on their side for once.


	28. The Earth's Special Forces

Of course, luck didn't last that long on her side because as soon as they got home from school, her father began bombarding her with questions about the Son family and demanded to know why she hadn't told him. Videl rolled her eyes and tried to get to her room, ignoring Hercule who was following behind her. She didn't want to deal with her dad and his questioning right now. But, of course, Mr. Satan had another plan and when he got tired of his daughter ignoring his questions, he ran and got a hold of his daughter's arm to get her attention.

"Come on, Videl. I'm talkin' to ya here!" the man bellowed.

Videl turned around and glared at her father. "I don't want to talk, Dad."

"Well, too bad!" Hercule wasn't going to let his daughter go without having a conversation with her first. "Why didn't you tell me you were friends with Son Goku's son?"

"Why do you think?" she snapped.

"I certainly can't think of a reason for you to keep it from me!" Hercule refuted. "You went to this guy's _house_ —to _Son Goku_ 's house—and you didn't tell me."

"Why should I tell you? It's not like you _care_ what my friend's parents are. You certainly don't care about Erasa's or Sharpner's parents."

"This is different," Hercule said. "This is Son Goku we're talking about—the former Champion."

"Yeah, he's the former Champion. He won the tournament before you did. So what?"

"So _what_?! How can you even _ask_ that, Videl? You've always known I've wanted to prove I'm better than that trickster—"

"He's not a trickster, Dad!"

Hercule's eyes widened for a second in surprise and then narrowed as he looked at his teenage daughter. "What'd you say?"

"I said," Videl began, gazing into his father's eyes intensely, knowing that he wouldn't like what she would say, "that he's _not_ a trickster."

"How can you say that?!" Hercule could not believe what his daughter was saying. "They do stuff that people can't do. They shoot light, they have these auras around them, they _fly_! How can it not be a trick?"

Videl remembered when she was ignorant about Ki. She couldn't believe that the Golden Fighter and the Golden Warriors had those powers. She had believed it was tricks because everyone else did. If she hadn't investigated and confronted Gohan about her discoveries, she would've never found out about Ki. She would've still been ignorant, like her father and practically the whole world. To be honest, the thought of that sucked, but it was the truth. She wouldn't know about Ki at all if it wasn't for Gohan, and she was glad that wasn't the case. However, she had no intention of explaining it to her father, at least not right now. She wanted to make the fact she knew how to fly a surprise for Hercule, and telling him about Ki would probably ruin it.

_'Besides, it's not like he'd believe me, anyways,'_ she mused. "Dad, you can't know if it's a trick or not if you haven't seen it for yourself."

"Haven't seen if for myself?" Hercule chorused. "I went to the Cell Games! I saw all of that, and I'm pretty convinced those were all tricks. There couldn't be any other way to explain all that."

_'And this is why Dad would suck as a detective. He just goes and jumps into conclusions!'_ "How can you be so sure?"

"Tell me any other way all that could be possible," Hercule shot back.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe if you trained and you believed, you could pull it off," Videl said, quoting what Gohan had said to those jocks that challenged him at school shortly after everyone found out he was Goku's son.

_'Those punks really did it. They've managed to make my baby girl buy all their bullshit!'_ "Videl, that's crazy! You know it's not possible. I don't know what those tricksters said to you, but you better forget it all. In fact, I don't want you near that boy, Gohan, again! It fills your head with stupid lies."

Videl's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth at the thought of her father forbidding her to be with her crush. "You can't tell me who I can or can't hang out with! If I want to be friends with Gohan, I can be! If I want to go to his place and be with his dad and his family, I can!"

"The hell you can!" Hercule roared. "I'm your father, and you better listen to me!"

"Yeah? Well, too bad," Videl gleamed while tugging her arm out of her father's grasp. She glared at him defiantly and then turned on her heel and marched to her room.

"Videl!" he yelled. "Don't you dare turn your back to me and disobey me! Videl—"

"You can't stop me!" she yelled back, shutting the door of her room shut and locking it.

"Videl!" he yelled again, and when he got no answer, he punched the wall and narrowed his eyes. _'Those punks… Turning my own daughter against me! They'll pay!'_

Videl breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. She threw herself onto the bed and hugged her pillow. She was upset about what had happened, but she wasn't sorry. She did mean what she said. Her father wasn't going to stop her. Gohan was her friend, and he was her crush as well. Nothing was going to stop her from seeing him—not even her own father. She was going to hang out with Gohan, she was going to keep going to his house and she would still train with him no matter what Hercule said. _'He can't stop me. He can't!'_

* * *

Videl hadn't been kidding when she said her dad wouldn't stop her. She still hanged out with Gohan, Erasa, and Sharpner at school. She didn't care if her father had a problem with Gohan. She tried to avoid him ever since their argument after the Bring Your Family to School Day. She didn't want to hear any of his speeches. It wasn't even like Gohan was her boyfriend! And yet, her father still thought he could go all overprotective and try to control her life. Well, Videl thought not. When Saturday arrived, Videl was going to Gohan's house to train when her father got in her way. He suspected that she was going to be with Gohan and said he wouldn't allow it. He wasn't wrong about what she was going to do, but she still managed to get past him and go to the Son house to continue her training.

She had trained extra hard on Saturday, trying to get her anger out while training. Gohan had noticed something was wrong with her since Thursday, but only after seeing her train so furiously he asked her what was wrong. She ended up ranting about her father and admitted she had an argument with him. Gohan had heard her whole rant without a complaint and he even thanked her when she told him she stood up for him and his dad. Videl wasn't sure why _he_ was thanking _her_ when it should be the other way around. She was proud, but she could still admit that she owed Gohan and that she was thankful to have him as a friend.

Not to mention she had a crush on him, but that was something she wouldn't admit to anyone. She barely even admitted it to herself and to Erasa.

In the end, she ended up going to her home with a smile on her face. Somehow, being with Gohan always managed to cheer her up. Maybe it was because he was her crush? She didn't know, but she couldn't wipe out that smile, even when she got home and saw her dad. Mr. Satan had obviously been suspicious about her good mood, but she had greeted him in a quick manner before leaving to her room to avoid a confrontation. She didn't need her father to ruin her good mood. At dinner, Hercule kept making indirect statements and questions to get her talking, but Videl just brushed off all questions and avoided the topic.

She had gone to sleep with that smile still on her face at the thought of being with Gohan again, and when she woke up the next day she had a lot of energy to keep on with her training. She showered, dressed, ate breakfast, and then left. She didn't even need to worry about her father because it was Sunday and he always stayed in bed until very late. Usually she was annoyed by his laziness but that particular day she couldn't have been gladder that he always slept in.

Now she was practicing her flying technique while listening to Gohan's instructions and tips. Only three weeks were left for the tournament and she wanted to be as ready as she could be. She wanted to show the world what she was really made of, and she wanted to prove her father that she could also do what he had long ago classified as 'tricks' just because he didn't take the time to actually investigate and learn.

"You're doing great," Gohan praised, smiling at her. "You keep this up and you'll be ready with your flight technique by the time the tournament comes."

"Thanks, Gohan!" Videl grinned. That was _just_ what she wanted to hear.

* * *

"Come on, Goten! Let's go this way!" Trunks exclaimed as he jumped from a cliff and into the woods underneath.

"Wait up, Trunks!" Goten cried, following his best friend.

The two had been playing around the Son house, profusely annoying Chimaki until she got tired of it and sent them both to play outside. They thought about pulling a prank on Gohan but decided against it because Videl was there and instead went to explore. They had explored around Mount Paozu all their lives, but they always seemed to find new, interesting things.

They ran through the woods, until they couldn't decide where to go. So, to save themselves the trouble, they followed a pterodactyl that was flying just above their heads while they were arguing. The two boys followed it until they notices something they hadn't even know it existed.

"Hey, Trunks—look!" Goten pointed a cave that was behind some bushes. "I've never seen that cave before."

"It's a really weird cave," Trunks commented. It looked like something had literally crashed into the mountain and the cave was actually the crater. "Let's explore it!"

"Yeah!"

The two boys rushed into the so-called cave. It wasn't too big, so it didn't take long for them to get to the end. And in the end of it, there was a man lying there.

"Uh… what's a guy doing here?" Trunks asked.

"I dunno," Goten shrugged.

The two curiously got closer to the man. He was tall, well-built, long hair, and he appeared to be unconscious, but he didn't look hurt. He had some scars, but they were definitely old. He had just some weird styled pants on. But, that wasn't that caught Goten and Trunks attention. No. It was the furry, brown tail that really had really gotten the boys interested.

"A Saiyan?"

"What's a Saiyan doing here?" Goten wondered.

"No idea," Trunks replied. "Maybe we could ask him. We'd need to wake him up first though."

"How?"

"Lemme think." Trunks tried to think of the best ways to wake a Saiyan up. "I know!" He walked near the Saiyan and screamed in his ear. "Food! Breakfast! Lunch! Dinner! FOOD! Wake up if you want _food_!" he yelled as loud as he could. Unfortunately, it didn't work. "Ah, darn it."

"What now?" Goten asked.

"Uh…" Trunks tried to come up with Plan B. "How do you usually wake Gohan up?"

"Gohan?" Goten repeated. "Oh! You mean—how I wake him—by jumping on him! It always works!"

"Well, then what are you waiting for?!" Trunks questioned. "Try!"

"Okay!" Goten agreed cheerfully. He jumped on top of the Saiyan's stomach and began bouncing on top of him. "C'mon, Saiyan man! Wake up! Up—up—up— _up_!" He continued to jump until he noticed the man was not responding. "It's not working, Trunks!"

Trunks sighed. "What's with this guy? How come he doesn't _wake up_?!"

"Maybe he's too tired?" Goten suggested innocently.

"Well, too bad!" Trunks raised his hand and aimed at the man. "He's a Saiyan—a small Ki blast won't hurt 'im. This'll wake him up!"

"Trunks, wait—!" Goten got in between his best friend and the man and got hit by the blast instead. "Ow!"

"Goten, why'd you go and do that?!" Trunks questioned.

"You hit me!" Goten wailed.

"I was trying to hit _him_ —you're the one that got in the way!" Trunks argued. Goten just wailed louder, and Trunks rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Goten! That was a weak Ki blast! It couldn't have possibly hurt you."

Trunks was right. The blast didn't really hurt, but Goten wasn't happy that Trunks just went and blasted him without a warning. He was being over-dramatic on purpose. "You still blasted me! You didn't even warn me! That's not fair, Trunks!"

"I was trying to wake him up!" Trunks said. "I didn't want to hit you. C'mon, stop—"

"K—Kakarot…?"

Both boys turned around to see the man stirring and slowly opening his eyes.

Trunks grinned. "He's waking up!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Great job, Goten! Your wailing helped."

"Thanks," Goten grinned. He didn't think he'd actually wake the guy up, and he didn't intend that, but it worked!

"Why is he using your dad's Saiyan name though?" Trunks wondered, crossing his arms.

"K—Kak—arot…" the man slurred, a sudden power appearing within him. He didn't care about where he was, or how long he had been knocked out. He didn't care about the lilac-haired boy either. He just cared about the little tyke who looked just like the man he despised—that _sounded_ just like the man that had traumatized since they were babies with his constant, non-ending cries.

"Woah!" Trunks was amazed at the man's power. "Where's this power coming from?!"

"I don't know!" Goten replied, amazed as well. "But, I think he knows my dad!"

"KAKAROT!"

* * *

"Gohan?" Videl was worried. She had been chatting with Gohan while taking a break from training. He had been smiling and laughing but now he was still and looked worried, as well as a bit confused. She didn't know what caused that sudden shift in his attitude, and she was starting to get worried, too. "What's wrong?"

_'It can't be… That Ki I'm sensing, it_ can't _be_ him _. Dad_ killed _him!'_ But, if Goku had _really_ killed him, then how was it possible that he was sensing his Ki—stronger than ever before—just some few miles away? _'Did he survive? How? And what is he doing on Earth?'_

"Gohan?" Videl tried to get his attention again, but he was too deep in thought to notice. "You're worrying me. What's going on?"

_'Last time we barely beat him, and now he's even stronger than before. Sure, we're stronger now, but is it enough?'_ It was then we he realized that _his_ Ki wasn't the only one he was sensing—there were two other Kis he recognized immediately, and the three of them were coming right at his direction. "Shit!" he cursed.

"Gohan, stop it! What's going on?!" Videl demanded, punching him in the arm to gain his attention.

Gohan glanced at her, and he became worried that something would happen to her. It didn't matter how strong she was becoming for a human—she wouldn't be able to survive the wrath of such a monster by herself. It was too dangerous for her. "You gotta leave."

"Leave?!" Videl repeated. "Why do I gotta leave? What's going on? Why won't you _tell_ me?!"

"I'll explain later, but right now it isn't safe. You gotta—" He was cut off when Goten and Trunks—both in their Super Saiyan state—flew towards them at full speed. They had minor injuries, but nothing too bad and nothing they couldn't handle. Gohan was glad for that. He concentrated on his little brother and his best friend, not noticing the look of shock in Videl's face. "Goten! Trunks! Are you okay?!"

"If you mean we're alive—yeah, we are!" Trunks replied.

"We found this guy in a cave, and we tried to wake him up, but then he went all mad and attacked us!" Goten told his older brother. "And he kept shouting Daddy's name."

"And now he's chasing us!"

_'There's no doubt about it. It's really him…'_ Gohan realized in terror. _'No-one else would scream Dad's name so much. And now he's following Goten and Trunks and he'll get here in no time. We're screwed. We have to fight!'_

_'Is this real? Goten and Trunks… are they…_ golden _? Like the Golden Fighter?'_ Videl couldn't believe her eyes. _'This cannot be true. I know they fly and use Ki and all that, but to go golden like the Golden Fighter… that's just—that's_ way _too much.'_ She had suspected Gohan may know something about the Golden Fighter, but she never expected that his little brother and his best friend would be able to go blond. She wouldn't believe it if she wasn't seeing it for herself. _'But, what does this mean? Can Gohan do that, too?'_ She glanced at the other teenager, and while he didn't seem surprised, he looked extremely worried. _'Just what in the world is going on? And who's the guy they're talking about?'_

And like if Fate was answering her question, said man suddenly appeared. He was blond as well, tall, lean yet muscular, and there was something about him that just gave her the creeps. The look on the man's eyes… it wasn't normal, and it definitely _didn't_ mean good.

"Broly…" Gohan gasped. Coming to the conclusion he was alive a few moments ago wasn't the same as actually _seeing_ him alive and well. Not to mention he could _sense_ the fact his power had grown a lot after six years, and the bloodthirsty, crazed look in his eyes hadn't changed at all. In fact, it had _worsened._ "You're alive…? But, how?! My dad killed you!"

Videl gasped and turned to look at Gohan with wide eyes. Goku had killed someone? She definitely didn't think of him as someone that would kill a person and then act like nothing had happened. She was getting more weirded out by the second.

"Kakarot…" Broly's mind was never sane, but it had reached to the breaking point that it just wasn't working anymore and instead all it did was to picture a thousand and one cruel ways to destroy and kill everything in his path, _especially_ the man that had taken his sanity away from him as that little baby that just didn't shut up and almost killed him when they had met again as adults. Broly didn't care how but he was going to kill Kakarot and everyone related to him and he was going to _enjoy_ it. "KAKAROT!"

"Videl, stay back!" Gohan ordered her.

She tried to protest, not knowing the danger they were in. "But—"

"DO IT!"

Videl halted. Gohan had never, _ever_ , used that kind of tone of voice with her. It made her realize how serious he really was. She was confused and had a thousand questions going around in her head, wanting to be answered. But, she understood that now it wasn't the time or place to question him and decided it would be wiser to obey her friend and do as he told her to. Without saying a word, she took off from the ground as she used her Ki to fly herself to safety, looking back in curiosity to see what was happening and gasping at the sight in front of her. _'It can't be…'_

Instead of her friend Gohan, the teenager that was standing in his place was none other than her partner, the Golden Fighter.

The questions, theories and conspiracies that came up within her mind as she watched the golden-haired teenager clash with the huge man made it hard for her to concentrate, and she landed behind some rocks that was far enough to be safe—or at least that's what she thought—but close enough for her to see what was happening. And as she saw the fight start, there was only one thing that stayed in her head as she watched the gruesome exchange of power and attacks.

_'Gohan's the Golden Fighter…'_

* * *

Broly flew towards the three half-breeds with pure intentions to kill, shooting an energy blast that was dodged by the three of them, who immediately surrounded him to try and dominate the fight. Growling like a caged beast, Broly surged forwards at Goten, hoping to take out the weakest first. Swiping at Goten's head he hissed as he cleaved through air. The young warrior slipped under, back flipping and kicking Broly under the chin, only to fly backwards when Broly didn't even flinch. Charging an Eraser Cannon in his left hand, the crazed Saiyan kicked out continuously at Goten, who was speeding around him while unleashing irritating blows.

Sensing Trunks come up behind him and form a Burning Attack, Broly abandoned his efforts against Goten and whirled round. Unleashing his Eraser Cannon directly into Trunk's face, expecting to see a burning corpse, Broly laughed triumphantly only to be slammed forwards by a massive energy beam. Gohan stood behind Broly, his arms still outstretched from his full power Kamehameha. With his Super Saiyan 2 aura blazing wildly, electricity crackling with every breath, Gohan looked murderous as he advanced towards Broly. Nodding to a retreating Goten and grinning Trunks who was floating above where his afterimage had been, Gohan gathered Ki around his fists and pressed on towards Broly who'd already risen furiously.

"Goten, Trunks—hang back. If he gets past me, I need you guys fresh and ready to fuse. No matter what, he can't get to Videl," Gohan ordered as he saw the kids also move towards Broly. Reluctantly, they backed off.

Just then, Chimaki appeared, flying at them full speed on her Super Saiyan state. "Guys! I sensed someone powerful, and Dad suddenly left the house in a hurry. What's going on?" She halted when seeing the huge, angry Saiyan her brother was fighting against.

"Chimaki, stay back!" Gohan yelled. He didn't want his sister to be hurt either. "Go with Goten and Trunks. Protect Videl!"

Chimaki was upset her brother would just throw her to the side and prevent her to fight. "Come on, Gohan! I'm a Super Saiyan 2 like you now! You can't tell me not to fight—"

"You're still not completely in control of your Super Saiyan 2 form!" Gohan argued. "But, if something happens to me, you're the best chance we've got to prevent him from harming Videl. Please, Chimaki!"

"But—I—fine!" she grunted. "You're lucky I don't want Videl to be hurt either!" she exclaimed. "Come on! Goten—Trunks—let's go!" She flew towards Videl's direction, Goten and Trunks following behind her.

Broly was uncaring of Gohan's plan, and he quickly got bored of him talking to those kids, so he swung for him immediately. His right fist was caught by Gohan's radiating open palm. Squeezing Broly's fist, Gohan smirked as he felt the skin begin to sizzle and burn. Enraged at the agony, Broly punched Gohan squarely in the face, snapping his head back and drawing blood from his lip. Broly lashed out again but this time Gohan was ready and fired Ki from his eyes, a trick he'd learnt from Piccolo. Keeping Broly's fist back, Gohan became satisfied he'd sufficiently damaged Broly's left hand and released the Ki, quickly ducking down.

As Broly flinched at the cool air reaching his now blistered left hand, Gohan used the advantage to spring up and sink his fist into Broly's stomach. The pain shook the Legendary Super Saiyan back to reality and he kicked Gohan's legs from under him, jumping up Broly then slammed down with his elbow aimed at Gohan's neck. Gohan acted on instinct and swung his legs up, push kicking Broly away. Leaping up, Gohan dashed back to Broly and engaged him again. Broly met him head on and blocked Gohan's first volley of kicks, swinging wildly Broly smashed Gohan sideways with a chop to the ribs, cracking at least one.

Using the momentum, Gohan fired a Dodon Ray at Broly's face to blind him as he reached around the Legendary Super Saiyan. Grabbing Broly's hair, Gohan yanked Broly down onto his already raised knee. Knowing Videl was nearby, Gohan rapidly crunched his knee into Broly's spine, hoping sever the spinal cord. Twisting frantically, Broly loosened Gohan's grip and spun around, catching Gohan in the stomach with his enormous arm, launching him backwards. Bellowing like a lunatic, Broly blasted forwards and kicked the off balance Gohan into a hill side. Charging up an Eraser Cannon in each hand, Broly fired a barrage at Gohan, reducing the hill to dust.

As the dust drifted off Broly turned back to Goten and Trunks, his eyes blazing with a cruel light. As he finished turning he became aware of a trickling wetness running down his face and suddenly moving backwards. He'd walked straight into Gohan's fist. "We're just getting started!" Gohan announced to Broly, clutching a burn on his chest with his free hand, his Gi in tatters but his eye's cold and distant. _'Dad, you better hurry up. I can't keep this up forever.'_ "Get up!" Gohan barked, forming yellow Ki in his hands.

Incensed by the taunt and pain Broly screamed louder than ever, his aura expanding and enveloping everyone as he reached his upper limit. Charging forward blindly, Broly lunged for Gohan.

"Masenko!" Gohan shouted as he released his energy beam straight into Broly. Any confidence soon vanished however when Broly simply shrugged it off and kicked Gohan through the energy, sending him skidding.

"Still want him to get back up?" a cold voice asked through the gleaming light.

"Screw you, Vegeta!" Gohan replied with a smile as he rose up and dodged Broly's latest swipe, punching him in the kidneys for good measure. He laughed as waves of relief washed over him, sharpening his senses. "About time you guys got here. Killing a maniac is a family event."

"Kakarot is getting the others," Vegeta informed Gohan, wincing slightly as he saw the young Saiyan get slapped down again. "I'll wait for an opening." Ignoring this, Gohan rolled and reached a palm up between Broly's legs, firing burning Ki straight up. This brutal move made Broly howl in pain and fly out of the path immediately. _'I've never seen him fight so brutally. That was_ literally _a dick move. There's hope for the Saiyan race yet,'_ Vegeta thought with approval and mirth.

Leaping up, Gohan formed two Destructo Disks, one in each hand and shifted them further up his arms, towards his wrists. Then he changed the Ki's flow and made them rotate, becoming whirling instruments of death. "Bring it. I'm going to cut you down to size, you maniac!" Gohan grunted as stalked forwards. Gohan swung his arms in an arc, wrist blades slashing grooves into the earth. Broly approached warily and fired a mouth beam that Gohan easily drifted above. Firing a volley of Ki blasts, Broly tried to press forwards only to be met by an afterimage. Turning immediately, he was faced with Gohan's wrist blades slicing down towards his face. Lunging back, the blades narrowly missed his face but instead cleaved deeply into his chest. As blood erupted forwards Gohan's view was obscured for a second and he didn't see Broly's upward kick coming. It caught him on the chin and knocked him back and down, his blades catching Broly's leg before dissipating into the ground. "Care to tag in, Vegeta?" he wheezed as he staggered up, Broly bearing down on him.

"Why not? The Tri-clops just got here—I finally have a cheerleader," Vegeta laughed as he stepped forwards and flashed into Super Saiyan.

"Funny. I always thought the cheerleaders were blonde?" Tien retorted as he hovered up and fired a Dodon Ray from each hand, shunting Broly back before he got to Vegeta or Gohan.

Whilst Vegeta and Tien were arguing Broly had got up and around the two warriors, preparing to lunge. A still dazed Gohan noticed and sped forwards, jutting his shoulder out and crashing into Broly's side, sending them both sprawling. Shaking Gohan off, Broly roared as Gohan opened a cut in side with a concentrated Ki beam. Furious, Broly ignored Gohan's latest flurry of attacks and punched him in the stomach, doubling him over before kicking him away and advancing.

"Oh, we should probably focus," Tien stated simply.

"Ya think?! Kill him!" Gohan screamed as he weaved around the murderous Legendary Saiyan.

"Calvary has arrived!" Krillin shouted triumphantly as he dashed towards the overs, followed by Goku, Piccolo, Yamcha and Buu. Chaiotzu, Eighteen and Seventeen drifted slowly around the other end of the clearing waiting for an opening.

"You're screwed now!" Gohan laughed as he sidestepped a kick from an increasingly distracted Broly.

"We've got this now, Gohan—hang back a bit," Goku said as he rushed in and slammed Broly in the gut, before turning Super Saiyan and kicking him skywards. Tien and Piccolo were hovering in wait for Broly and with their hands clasped together smashed Broly in the back towards the ground.

"Some Legend," Vegeta sneered as he, Yamcha and Krillin hurled volleys of Ki blasts down at Broly's prone form, dust and debris kicking up everywhere.

"Buu, I need some healing up," Gohan groaned as Buu used his limited healing abilities to close some of Gohan's more severe wounds.

"Is he dead?" Krillin asked anxiously.

"Not sure. His Ki is weird at the best of times," Piccolo replied gruffly, waiting for the dust to clear.

A sickly green glow pierced the veil of brown dust and a pulsing noise emanated within. Silence fell before a bestial roar shook the Earth and dark green Ki exploded forth, knocking the Z-Fighters to the ground. Hastily getting up, the warriors scattered as Broly charged, his face contorted in rage.

"Well, at least now we know he's alive," Krillin quipped as he dodged a random energy blast.

"His power level just went off the charts—we can't let this drag out!" Goku shouted as he went Super Saiyan 3 and shoulder barged Broly away from a cornered Yamcha.

"I'm aware, you idiot!" Vegeta snapped back as he pushed into Super Saiyan 2 and lined up with Buu and the partially revitalized Gohan.

Piccolo began to gather Ki to his finger from his forehead, immediately everyone knew he'd be out of the fight for five minutes and groaned. Goku kicked out at Broly only for the beast to ignore him and smack back the advancing Yamcha. Turning, Broly flinched as Goku punched him savagely in the face, only to shake his head and grin. Broly returned the favor and faked a punch to the ribs only to bring his knee into Goku's now exposed side.

Feeling a sharp pain in his sides, the Legendary Saiyan glanced to see Tien and Krillin going berserk on his reopening wounds. Grabbing the stunned Goku, Broly literally picked him up and clubbed Krillin away from him, throwing Goku aside as he did. Turning back to Tien, Broly unleashed a frenzy of blows that while largely evaded by Tien stalled him long enough for Broly to launch a mouth beam that slammed Tien down. Redirecting his rage, Broly saw Buu, Vegeta and Gohan circling him, hands enveloped in.

"This is where the fun really begins!" Vegeta barked as Goku got up and drifted towards them.

"I will kill you last," Broly growled at Vegeta, relishing the thought of toying with Vegeta's life.

Vegeta smirked at this, knowing he'd got inside Broly's warped head. Bounding forward, Broly slammed his fists from above his head towards Vegeta, only to pass through an after-image. Krillin used the chance to gash the back of Broly's calf with a Destructo Disk. Bellowing, Broly kicked back and sent Krillin sprawling away. Tien and Yamcha darted in and furiously kicked Broly from either side whilst Buu fired a chocolate beam that forced Broly to retaliate and engage in a mouth beam struggle.

The mad Saiyan sank to one knee as he slowly succumbed to the vicious beating his already damaged ribs were taking. As his consciousness began to fade he glimpsed a flash of yellow as his head was slowly wrenched up. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Goku behind him, trying to strangle him.

_'Not by Kakarot... Kakarot!'_ the Legendary Super Saiyan screamed to himself, his rage reigniting.

Stopping the Ki flow, Broly turned and threw Goku off before bulldozing into Yamcha, fist first, making Buu's beam miss. Blocking Yamcha's feeble counter punch, Broly slammed a massive fist into the side of Yamcha's head, stunning him. Laughing, Broly spun round as he sensed Tien and Vegeta charge behind him, launching a blast that forced Vegeta away and caught Tien bodily, carrying him off before detonating. Spinning, Broly kicked the still groggy Yamcha to the ground where he collapsed without stirring. Hoping to get the human who'd injured his leg Broly was disappointed to discover he'd vanished, busy getting Senzu Beans to his injured comrades.

"It's down to us," Gohan noticed as he fell from the sky rapidly down towards Broly, glowing in concussive Ki that downed them both, creating an immense crater.

Not waiting for the dust to settle Buu used his stretching powers to grab a barely risen Broly and draw him rapidly in. Winding his right arm back, Buu used his signature windmill like arm strike to pulverize Broly's face, blackening an eye and causing a fresh stream of blood to flow from his nose. With no way to strike directly as his hands went harmlessly into Buu, Broly released as much Ki as he could, melting Buu away and forcing him to regenerate.

Righting himself Broly felt a sickening jolt in his stomach as Goku sunk his foot directly into his abdomen, causing Broly to cough a small line of blood. Broly raised an arm to block Goku's punch to his head only for Vegeta to smash his fist into Broly's open wounds on his side. Lashing out, Broly kept Vegeta at length only to be brained by Goku from behind. Dizzy but undeterred, Broly focused on the slightly weaker Saiyan and kept hammering away at Vegeta's guard, eventually forcing an opening and uppercutting Vegeta savagely, launching him up, only to grab his left leg and drag him in for a headbutt that dazed him. Returning to his senses, Vegeta kicked Broly in the side again with his free leg, eliciting a roar from the beast. Loosening his grip, Broly literally dropped Vegeta who struggled to regain flight in his weakened state.

Meanwhile, Goku had continued to hammer at Broly, mottling his skin but ultimately having little effect as rage and humiliation caused Broly's ability to feel pain to become nonexistent. Reaching behind himself, Broly grabbed Goku's lengthened hair and flipped him over to face the crazed Saiyan. Pivoting, Goku back handed his fist across Broly's face, causing him to splutter a fine mist of blood. Ignoring this, Broly returned the favor with a cross to the face that forced Goku sideways into Broly's waiting leg, knocking the Super Saiyan 3 up. Going for another headbutt, Broly flinched as Goku expected it and shoved out a hand of burning Ki, searing Broly's forehead. Scrambling back and to the ground, Goku landed to rest next to Gohan who was slowly getting up from the crater.

"This isn't working," Goku said simply.

"It has to, or we go to plan B," Gohan replied wearily; hate filling his eyes before he glanced back to where Videl was hiding.

"If plan B doesn't work, we'll be able to take him, but it'll probably kill us both. You realize that right?" Goku asked, wanting his son to avoid the danger if possible.

"I'm aware. If it comes to it, I'll happily accept the risks," Gohan replied grimly before again glancing towards the boys' and Videl's general location. Nodding his head sadly, Goku noticed Buu and Vegeta dart around Broly, slowly edging him closer to Piccolo.

"Namekian! Tell me you're ready to fire the God damn beam!" Vegeta yelled frantically as he danced around Broly's wild assault.

"I'm ready! Hold him! I'll warn you when I'm firing!" Piccolo shouted back as energy crackled around him.

"Don't believe him!" Goku chipped in as he and Gohan Instant Transmission'ed behind Broly and locked his arms back and seized him. Vegeta and Buu grabbed Broly's legs too in the hope of preventing his flight. Broly's struggle intensified once he heard Piccolo launch his attack.

"Special Beam Cannon!" Piccolo roared as he launched his signature move from his fingertips.

As the purple beam spiraled towards him, fear gripped Broly for the first time in years, with no way to escape he looked around desperately. Seeing how his struggles caused Buu's body to stretch, he figured he could use that. So, he lashed his leg up, causing Buu to half flop up towards his chest height, directly into the path of the beam which bored a holed through Buu and harmlessly slammed into Broly, merely pushing him back.

"Oh for fuc—" Gohan started only to be cut off by Broly's newly formed Ki shield that threw all the Z-Fighters off.

The warriors scattered back and caught their breath. As they did, Broly's shield lowered and his aura darkened. Only his now blazing red and green eyes could be seen.

"Plan B!" Goku called out before Broly charged.

Broly heard the man he hated more than anything and set forward, only to not move. Confused he looked down and tried to move again, his body was totally immobile and though was a struggle.

"Say goodnight jackass!" Chaiotzu mocked as he floated behind the giant, his eyes glowing through his psychic powers.

Beside him were Eighteen and Seventeen, their hands out and Ki rings pulsating down towards Broly to further secure him.

_"You've 10 seconds!"_ Chaiotzu mentally roared to the others, over the effort of holding Broly back.

With that, the assembled warriors lined up and charged up their signature moves. Specific attacks could not be made out due to the sheer guttural, determined bellows from all involved and the kaleidoscope of converging energy, it took on a silvery sheen as it all met in the middle and pulsed towards Broly who could only widen his eyes in shock and scream 'Kakarot' over and over as the overwhelming energy washed over him after Chaoitzu and the others had fled. His body evaporated bit by bit until only dust remained in the afterglow. The Z-Fighters were tense for a moment, cautious just in case Broly miraculously survived—he had done that before, anyways. They all relaxed after neither of them could sense the Saiyan's Ki.

"We won!" Krillin cheered, and the others soon began celebrating.

"We were awesome out there!" Yamcha grinned.

Seventeen smirked. "Hell yeah!"

"Aren't we always?" Eighteen inquired with a smirk, flipping her hair and walking over to her husband.

"Well, it's not like that brain-dead, insane bastard of a Saiyan could be us," Vegeta said proudly.

"Am I the only one who's questioning how he was still alive?" Tien inquired. "Or how he arrived to Earth?"

"That's a good question," Piccolo commented.

"I dunno," Goku shrugged.

Vegeta snorted. "What's the point of thinking about such foolishness? It doesn't matter if he survived that battle—what matters is that we killed him this time for sure and that he's not coming back."

"What if he actually managed to survive again?" Yamcha raised an eyebrow.

"We'd kill his ass again, of course," Vegeta smirked.

"Oh, boy…" Chiaotzu sighed.

"These Saiyans, I swear," Krillin shook his head.

Gohan laughed, but he suddenly stopped grinning and turned to the direction where his brother, Trunks, and Videl were. "Oh, crap! Videl!" He turned back to the other warriors and gave them a sheepish smile. "Sorry, guys. I'll be right back!" Quickly, he took off and flew to where Videl was.

Krillin raised an eyebrow as he looked at Goku. "Videl?"

Goku laughed. "Yeah."

"Hercule's kid—that same Videl?" Yamcha questioned.

"Yup."

"What is she doing here?" Eighteen asked.

"Gohan's been teaching her how to fly," Goku replied. "She's been coming over for a while now. She's actually pretty nice."

"Okay—okay—lemme get this straight!" Krillin exclaimed. "Gohan is teaching this girl how to fly?"

"Yeah."

"And he cares for her, too, right? Because he literally ran off to make sure she's okay right about now," Yamcha commented.

"I guess, yeah."

"Do you know what this means?" Yamcha asked Krillin, a smirk on his face.

"Gohan's got a girlfriend!" the short warrior exclaimed, making the others laugh in amusement.


	29. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet! Hope you enjoy!

"Videl!" Chimaki yelled as he flew to where the older girl was standing, Goten and Trunks following behind her. "Hey, hey, Videl!"

Videl had watched a blonde girl fly to where Gohan had been flying and after a few exchange of words she'd flew to her direction with Goten and Trunks behind her. If she hadn't seen Goten and Trunks as blonds and she hadn't put the dots together and finally realized Gohan was the Golden Fighter, she would've thought this blonde girl was just a random girl with a remarkable resemblance to Chimaki. However, she now knew better than that, even though it still was hard for her to believe. She was stunned. _'Chimaki can go golden, too?'_

Chimaki, Goten, and Trunks landed right beside her. "Hey, you okay?" Chimaki asked her.

"Uh… I guess…" she stuttered, glancing to where now Gohan was fighting Broly and wincing when she saw Broly's fist hit Gohan in the face. She turned around to look at the three golden-haired children. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know who's that you're fighting. I don't know why you're all golden. Gohan is golden! He's the Golden Fighter!" She couldn't believe the guy she'd been looking for had been so near her all along and she had been too blind to see. There had been a time that she'd suspected Gohan was related to the Golden Fighter, but he'd always brushed off her suspicions. She'd believed him, but now, she knew the truth. "But, I guess you knew that from before, didn't you?" she asked bitterly. "You're a golden fighter, too."

She couldn't believe that Gohan had lied to her. After he'd confessed about Ki and his tail, she'd thought he'd be more honest around her. She thought they'd finally gotten to a point in which he could trust her. She trusted him—why couldn't it be the other way around, too?

Chimaki sighed, glancing at Goten and Trunks who seemed too interested in the fight to actually pay attention to them before turning her gaze back to the older girl. "It's complicated, Videl. There's a reason why my brother didn't tell you this."

Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of reason?"

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you."

"Oh, yeah. Totally. Gohan should. But, there's the problem—he hasn't."

Chimaki didn't reply. Instead, she turned her gaze to the battle when she sensed Vegeta arriving and the other Z-Fighters following shortly after. Videl turned her gaze to the battle, too, and watched in awe at the battle that was occurring. She couldn't even figure out what was happening, but it was obvious that the other three did. She'd never witnessed such a battle in her life—never thought it was possible. It was kind of like watching a battle of a movie or a TV show, but in real life. She'd never think Gohan would fight in battles like this, but after everything she learned about Ki, she'd figured she shouldn't've been so surprised. She couldn't recognize the other people who were fighting, but they did seem kind of familiar to her for some reason. She'd seen them somewhere.

"My brother cares for you," the Saiyan girl said after a moment, prompting Videl to stop staring at the battle and instead look at the girl standing beside her. Chimaki's gaze didn't drift away from the battle as her eyes followed every movement—and left Videl wondering how she did it—but she still talked to Videl. "I guess he just wanted you to protect you from our world."

"Your world?" Videl prompted.

"This world," she jerked her head to the battle. "It wasn't that he didn't trust you. It's just that my big brother doesn't know how to tell this to other people. None of us do, really. Not even the adults." She gave one-shouldered shrug. "I guess Gohan was just waiting and trying to figure out how to tell you. I mean he didn't really _want_ to tell you, but I guess he knew that you'd somehow put the pieces together at some point, even though he was hoping you wouldn't. You're good with that. You should consider changing your name to Sherlock Holmes."

Videl gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I wasn't able to find out who the Golden Fighter was, so I'm no Sherlock Holmes."

"But you were getting there. You put a lot of things together. Like, you were stressing my brother out because he couldn't figure out how to keep things a secret from you anymore."

She smirked a little. "Yeah." After he had lied to her, he deserved to be stressed for it at the very least. And the thought he'd lied to her wiped her smirk off her face. "So Gohan is the Delivery Boy, too, isn't he?" It wasn't a question. "He was in the Cell Games. He knows what happened."

"Yeah…"

Videl sighed, letting out a laugh. "I can't believe I've been such a fool."

"You're no fool." Chimaki finally looked to Videl, her teal eyes begging her. It was strange to Videl. She was used to the black eyes. "Don't be mad with my brother, Videl. He's just trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" Videl snorted. "From what?"

"The truth," Chimaki responded. "He's got no option but to come clean now. The question is, will you be able to handle the truth?"

Videl stayed quiet, turning to look at the battle. She could only see blurry things moving and lights, but she knew it was much more than that. She wasn't sure how a twelve-year-old could be so philosophical, but she didn't mind—she could get philosophical, too. "If I can stand here, watching this battle, without having a mental breakdown or crying or freaking out over the fact my friend is the Golden Fighter and that he's lied to me and that I'm finally putting the whole thing together and yet I have so many holes to my theory that I still need more answers—then, yeah, I can handle it."

Chimaki eyed her, before nodding. "You're tough," she said. "I like that."

They watched the battle in silence—or at least the Saiyans did. Videl was still trying to figure out what exactly was going on in the battlefield. After a while she gave up, and turned her gaze to Chimaki once again. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here and not there?"

She shrugged. "Gohan wanted us to protect you in case the psychopath managed to beat 'em." She squealed as she watched what was happening. "But it seems that won't be the case! They're gonna win!"

Videl turned her head to see just in time as all the warriors combined their attacks and fused them into one beam of combined energy. She watched as the brute they were fighting was overwhelmed by the attack and when the lights were gone, the guy was gone, too. She was stunned at what she saw and turned to Chimaki for answers. "What happened?"

Chimaki grinned, going back to her normal form, much to Videl's surprise. "They killed him."

"They _what_?!"

"Which means we won!" Trunks declared loudly as he, too, dropped his transformation and went back to normal, Goten following suit.

"Yeah!" the youngest cheered.

As Videl tried to wrap her head around the idea that someone had been supposedly _killed_ right in front of her eyes—and watched in disbelief as three _children_ cheered on someone's death—Gohan flew to them, and landed right in front of her with his blond hair and teal eyes. He'd forgotten to drop out of his Super Saiyan 2 state. The fact that he was still bleeding—obviously injured due to the fight—and with a weird mixture of worry and happiness in his face, plus the ripped clothing he wore, was enough to freak Videl out. He kind of looked like a psychopath and not the Gohan she knew.

"Fuck, man!" she screamed, jumping away. She'd forgotten the presence of the kids. She was stunned and freaking out by his appearance. "You look like shit! And you're still golden…"

"Golden? Oh. Right." He dropped out of Super Saiyan 2 and grinned nervously. He knew she wanted an explanation and after what she'd witnessed, he knew she wanted answers. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"Me? Oh, I don't know. I mean physically? Yeah, totally. Mentally? Uh, I don't know—because one of my best friends lied to me!" _'Best friend my ass! My own crush lied to me, dammit!'_

 _'She's pissed. She has the right to be, though. I did lie to her. Gotta come clean—but how do I explain this?'_ "I'm sorry, Videl. I am! It's just really complicated, but…" He glanced at his little sister who nodded to encourage him. "I guess there is no point to lie to you anymore."

Her eyebrow raised in suspicion. "So you're gonna tell me the truth?"

"Yeah." He glanced back to where the others were standing, and noticed that Goten and Trunks had already flown to their direction. "Do you mind if we go were the others are, first, though?"

Videl glanced to where the others were and gave one shouldered shrug. "Uh, no, not really." _'As long as this isn't a try to escape our conversation.'_

"Good luck," Chimaki told Videl. "They're crazy. We're all crazy." She laughed and flew to the others.

Videl turned to Gohan. "Define 'crazy'."

"Well… what you saw today? That's normal."

"Holy shit," Videl sputtered with her eyes wide. "Okay, so, um, I'm gonna be the only one who's not used to this? That's what you're saying? Well, damn, okay. You do have a lot to explain, mister. You're not getting away!"

"I know," he mumbled. "Let's go to the others now."

Videl gave a one-shouldered shrug once again, and Gohan decided to tests his luck and take that as a 'yes'. He didn't understand women—especially not Videl—so he was relieved when she'd took off right after him and flew with him to where the others were standing.

"There you are!" Goku grinned when seeing his eldest with Videl. "You okay, Videl?"

Videl looked stunned at the warriors' torn appearance, but she managed to smile. "Uh, yeah, thanks."

"Well, well, well," Yamcha rushed to where Gohan was standing, wrapping an arm around the teenager's shoulders with a shit-eating grin on his face. "There's some things you haven't told us, 'ey?" He motioned to Videl and raised his eyebrows.

"Yamcha!" Gohan yelled, going beet red. "It isn't like that!"

"Like hell it isn't!" Yamcha laughed, nudging his young friend in the ribs.

"It really is not!"

As Yamcha continued to tease Gohan, Videl began to look around to the others who were watching Yamcha and Gohan bickering in amusement. And to her shock, she realized all of this people were familiar. She remembered Krillin from the mall when they met him months ago, and as she watched him walk over to Gohan to tease him as well, she'd realized she also knew the other guy. Gohan had called him Yamcha, and Yamcha had been a student of the Turtle School. He'd trained with Goku and Krillin under Master Roshi. She could also recognize Eighteen and Seventeen from the mall. Eighteen was Krillin's wife and Seventeen was her brother.

She recognized Tien Shinhan—the Champion of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament—and his friend, Chiaotzu. She'd seen some paparazzi pictures of them and some videos that were uploaded in the internet after she found out Gohan's father was Goku and that he knew them, and honestly, they looked pretty much just like they did back then. There was a green guy that she deduced that was Piccolo. She hadn't seen much pictures of him, but she'd seen drawings of the Great Demon King and his son definitely looked like him.

She looked at the mean looking guy standing with his arms crossed and what looked like a permanent scowl on his face. He did have a little smirk in his face, but that was the only amusement he was showing. Videl was sure she'd seen that expression from somewhere—that face, that _hair_ —and then it came crashing down on her. The Cell Games. This guy had been in the Cell Games. He'd been there!

And as she looked at each of the faces of the people standing around her, the more she realized that she knew them from before. They'd all been there. In the Cell Games—the fought against Cell! She shouldn't have been surprised; she knew Gohan was the Golden Fighter, which meant he was the Delivery Boy, which meant he'd been at the Cell Games. It still came as a shock to her, though. She had never in her life expected to meet some of the members of the so-called Earth's Special Forces she'd been investigating for the last few weeks, but now they were all in front of her.

She looked to the last person—if it was even a person—that she hadn't looked to and she realized she knew that… that _thing._ She'd thought he was only a part of a terrible nightmare that a wizard had forced the world to have—but if that was the case, then there was no possible way on Earth that that monster was standing _right there_!

She let out a scream as she jumped back. She hadn't been paying attention to what the others were doing so she didn't notice when they'd turned around at her sudden scream. "Wh—What the hell is that thing doing here?!" she yelled. "Isn't that Majin Buu?!"

They all looked at her in confusion, but then realization filled their faces when they realized she didn't know that Majin Buu event had been all real and not a dream as Mister Satan got the world to believe. Gohan sighed—he should've expected it. He knew he couldn't keep stalling anymore. He had to tell her the truth, not matter how it would affect her.

No more lies.

"That is Majin Buu, but don't worry—he's on our side," he said smoothly. "Come on. We need to talk."

Videl turned to Gohan, trying to figure out if he was truly going to tell her everything, but even though she wasn't sure she nodded.

"Sorry, guys. Gotta talk some stuff up," he smiled sheepishly at his friends, then turned to Videl. "Let's go." She nodded again and he took off with her following him.

"They're going to _talk_ , huh?" Yamcha grinned, trying to break the slight tension that the two teenagers left behind.

"Yeah," Goku nodded. "He can't hide stuff anymore after all this."

"So, he's just gonna tell her everything?" Krillin wondered.

"Probably," Piccolo replied. "Gohan hates to lie so I'm sure he's gonna tell her everything she doesn't know."

"About time," Chimaki rolled her eyes.

* * *

"I think this is a good place to talk," Gohan said as they landed to some meadow they'd found nearby.

"Sure, wherever," she nodded, giving one-shouldered shrug. "I just wanna have this conversation. I've put a lot of things together by now, but there are still details I don't know. I'd also like to know why you lied to me." She gave him a pointed look.

He sighed. "Videl, the story of my life is… complicated." _'And it affects you more than what you think.'_ "It'll take a long time to explain."

"I have all the time in the world. I'd rather be here than with my dad right now. I want the truth, Gohan. Don't lie anymore."

"Okay! Okay, uh… God, I don't even know where to _start._ " He looked around, narrowing his eyes as he tried to think.

"What about the Cell Games?" Videl suggested. "I know you're the Delivery Boy. I know those guys back there are the Earth's Special Forces—well, some of them, at least. You could tell me what really happened. I remember you didn't want to tell me when I asked the Golden Fighter—well, when I asked _you_ , really. You told me to ask my dad. Why's that?"

Gohan shook his head. "Um, I don't think that's the right place to start. I mean—hell, Vi, it's really a complicated story, You wouldn't understand the whole thing if I didn't tell you everything from the start."

Videl pursed her lips, but nodded. She'd been hoping to find out about the Cell Games quickly, but she didn't mind to clear other stuff up first if it was really necessary. "Okay, so, uh… where you wanna begin? Where does this whole thing start?"

"Millions of years ago, I think. I don't even know." He shrugged as he saw her eyes narrow. "I guess I should start on the whole heritage thing. Yeah, that should be it. So, um..." _'How do I begin to talk about this?'_ "You know those typical theories and programs about extraterrestrial life and all?"

"You mean those typical shows that talk about how gods were actually aliens and that there was life in Mars at some point millions of years ago?"

"Eh… I guess that works. Kinda. Yeah. So, uh… they're not exactly wrong."

Her eyebrows raised. "So gods are aliens and there was life in Mars?"

"I have no idea about Mars, but the other thing, uh, isn't exactly wrong. Kami is an alien."

"Please tell me you're joking," she said, her eyes wide.

"Nope," he shook his head.

"So aliens exist?"

"Yep," he nodded.

"Oh my Kami," she muttered. "Kami's an alien. Holy crap. Okay… how that is even possible, I don't know. Aliens exist. Okay, not weird at all. Now you're gonna tell me you know Kami personally…" His shy look gave him away. "Oh, come on! How the hell do you meet Kami?!"

"Long story," Gohan muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll explain when we get there. The thing is, yeah, aliens are real, and no, they do not like ET! I mean at least not the ones I've known…"

"You know aliens…" she mumbled. "Okay, sure. Not bizarre."

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly. "There's a reason for that, though. So, uh, look, the Earth is this tiny planet on a huge universe with many other planets, and some of those have life. There are a lot of races that are in contact, like in a literal universal context. Universal for real. Anyway, there's this race, the Saiyans… and uh, my dad…" He forced a smile. "What would you say if I told you my dad was a Saiyan?"

"I said that's bullshit," Videl deadpanned. "But since I know you, I just _know_ it's true."

"And you're not surprised I just told you my dad is an alien?" Gohan raised his eyebrows. _'I expected more of a reaction. Like, I don't know, denying and questioning or something…'_

"To this point I don't think I can be surprised by anything," she said drily. _'So the former World Martial Arts Champion is an alien, and I've known him for a while now. Great. And if he's an alien, then that would mean…'_ Realization dawned in her face. _'Oh my God…'_ "You're an alien, too, aren't you?"

"Half," he admitted sheepishly. "My mom is human."

 _'Good to know not everyone in that crazy family is from another planet.'_ "So, your dad's an alien, and you, Goten, and Chimaki are half-aliens…" she said slowly. He nodded in confirmation. "And your family we met while we were at your house were all aliens too…" He nodded again and she pursed her lips. "You don't look alien."

He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What do ya mean?"

"Aren't aliens—I dunno—green or something? Or have antenna like that green guy back there—" She cut herself off, realizing what she just said. Her thoughts on how aliens would look was practically describing Piccolo. "He's an alien, too, isn't he?"

"Um, yeah," he nodded. "He's Piccolo. The reincarnation of the Demon King Piccolo? His son, you could say? Yeah, that's him. He's from a race called Namekians, from Planet Namek. Used to be Dad's enemy—circumstances made them allies and before they knew it they were friends. He trained me when I was a kid, y'know? Was my mentor. I'm stronger than him now though. Anyway, remember Kami? Okay, Kami was the good half of King Piccolo, and if one dies, the other dies, too. He survived because Piccolo was born, and then they fused to become stronger. He's still basically Piccolo though."

"Uh…" Videl stared at Gohan dumbfounded. "I… didn't really understand much. Um… am I okay with just knowing he's an alien?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's good enough."

Videl nodded, then a thought popped into her head. "Wait. If this guy fused with Kami—I have no idea how that happened—then what the hell happened with, well, Kami? I mean, there's no God anymore?"

"No, no, no," Gohan shook his head. "There is a God. That's Dende. He's the new Kami. He's a Namekian, too. He's a good friend. Known him since I was a kid; I met him in Namek."

"Okay…"

"Yeah, I know. It's complicated. See, I told you!"

"Yeah, whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what about the others? Are there any other aliens?"

"Um, well, Vegeta is a Saiyan—he's actually the Prince of Saiyans—and his son, Trunks, is half Saiyan. Also, remember that article on Capsule Corporation?" He continued when she nodded. "It was right. Bulma is married to an alien. That would be Vegeta." He watched as her jaw dropped. "And all the explosions, all the tech, that's because of us. Anyway, Tien—the guy with the third eye—is… I don't know what he is. He doesn't really know either. We just say he's a Triclops. Human, alien, we don't know." He shrugged. "Everyone else is human, though. Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu…"

 _'Good to know the whole group isn't only alien people. At least humans kick ass too.'_ "So there's humans who know about all this, huh?" ' _I guess this shows Earthlings and aliens can get along. In your face, Sci-Fi.'_

"Yeah. And, uh, there's also the androids."

"Androids?"

"Seventeen and Eighteen."

 _'Seventeen and Eighteen. Those are the guys from the mall! Gohan had said they just had weird nicknames, but if they're actually androids…'_ "Then that's why you call them by numbers. Because they're androids?"

"They're cyborgs, basically. They were human once. They have names, too. Like real names. I told you their names, remember?" She nodded, so he continued. "Yeah, well, the thing is we got used to call them 17 and 18. Like, even they call themselves that. So we rarely use their real names."

"Well that makes sense…" _'At least about as much sense as this whole situation can make.'_ "Hey, that Saiyan vegetable guy and his son had tails, like you and the others. You said tails are heritage, or something like that. That you didn't really know. You know, don't you? You have tails because you're a Saiyan, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Saiyans got tails."

"Okay, so that explains the tail thing…. Kami and Piccolo are aliens… Androids…" She scrunched up her face as she continued to think of things she wanted to know. "The guy you were fighting? What was he?"

"Saiyan. A psychotic Saiyan with some weird obsession with killing my dad. His name was Broly."

She nodded. "You said you thought he was dead…"

"I thought for sure my dad finished him off years ago. I don't even know how he survived."

"Guess he was tough," she shrugged. "He was golden, too. Is that a Saiyan thing? Going golden?"

He nodded. "It's a transformation. It's called Super Saiyan. It was supposed to be a legend, but then my dad transformed and proved it right. It's not easy to do so, but we managed. There are also more levels. Like, you can go further. You can go Super Saiyan 2, even Super Saiyan 3 like my dad. It's not easy though."

"Yeah, I bet it isn't. A transformation, huh?" she muttered. _'That explains why it was so quick. No hair dye or anything.'_ She continued to think about questions she had. "And, uh… Majin Buu. That's it—Majin Buu. He was there. That was Majin Buu." She began to pace. "But, _how_ could it be Majin Buu? Majin Buu was supposed to be part of a nightmare. This wizard created this nightmare to scare us all. That's what my dad said. Dad defeated this wizard. Unless…" She turned to look at Gohan, who was looking away guiltily. "Gohan, what happened?"

"What do you mean, 'what happened'?"

"I mean, what happened—what happened at the Cell Games, and what happened with Majin Buu. And I want the truth. You didn't want to tell me, you told me to ask my father. There's a reason for that. You know something I don't. Tell me."

He sighed. "That's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"You won't like what you'll hear."

She laughed humorlessly. "I don't really care up to this point."

"Well… okay, _but_ —" he paused when she glared at him. He didn't care about what anyone said—she could be damn scary when she wanted to be. "I'll have to explain something else first, or else it won't make any sense." He knew he was postponing telling her Hercule's role in all of this, but he did actually have something else to explain.

"Should I be worried?"

"Well… this will seem like a fantasy thing. It's true though, all of it. Promise."

"So we're going from Sci-Fi to fantasy? That's great," she remarked sarcastically. "Come on, don't leave me hanging. Spill it."

"Okay…" _'Now how the hell do I explain this?!'_ "Do you… uh, you remember Kami?"

Her eyebrows raised. "Kinda hard to forget him after finding out he's an alien, the good half of Demon King Piccolo, and that he fused with that Piccolo guy that's actually the Demon King's son or something."

"Yeah; yeah, I guess. Okay, you remember they're Namekians, right?"

"Yes…"

"Okay, Namekians, uh… Namekians can be warriors or… kinda mystic, I guess. Anyway, the thing is these mystic Namekians can create something called Dragon Balls."

"Dragon… Balls?" she repeated. She'd never heard of something like that. "Those aren't a dragon's—"

"No!" Gohan couldn't blame her for thinking that though. He'd been raised with the knowledge of the Dragon Balls so he never thought that, but he knew his father and most of his friends didn't think about the seven Dragon Balls when they heard their name. "No, they're not. They're seven balls with stars in them. Basically, you get all seven, and you can summon a dragon that will make your wish come true. Well, two, or three—it depends. See, the Namekian dragon grants three wishes, and the Earth's dragon granted only one until Dende gave him enough power to grant two—"

"Wishes?" Videl asked dumbly.

"Yeah, wishes. As in the genie in the magic lamp? You know, like in _Aladdin_?"

"I know what a wish is, Gohan," she snapped. "It's just weird that you gather seven balls and a dragon shows up and grants I don't know how many wishes. And there's more than one dragon?"

"Well, there's the original set of Dragon Balls—the Namekian Dragon Balls—that have a dragon named Porunga, and it grants three wishes. When Kami was the Guardian of the Earth, he made _another_ set of Dragon Balls—the Earthling Dragon Balls—and the dragon is named Shenron. Shenron granted one wish until seven years ago when Dende, the new Guardian, gave him power to grant two."

"That… kind of makes sense. Okay. So why are you telling me this? Is this important to understand what happened with Majin Buu?"

"And with the Cell Games," he said quietly. "And with other stuff that doesn't really affect the world—well, maybe the King Piccolo conflict—but mostly not. At least not directly."

"Okay…" She raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying that I should basically worry about the Cell Games and Majin Buu?"

"Well, I can explain the other stuff—what happened before—but I don't think it'd matter to you…"

"I would rather know everything, really," she shrugged.

Gohan sighed and nodded. He explained what had happened with the Demon King Piccolo—how Goku had defeated him and how he used his last breath to give birth to Piccolo. He explained that Kami trained Goku to kill Piccolo in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament but that instead Goku let him go. He then explained about when Raditz came to Earth, looking for Goku, to explain the rebellion they were planning against Frieza. He went on and explained who Frieza was and his involvement with the Saiyans, and how they trained, and how Goku was sent to train in the Other World even though he was alive, and that they had to go to Namek to prevent Frieza from getting the Dragon Balls. He explained how Goku went Super Saiyan for the first time and defeated him, and how they used the Dragon Balls to bring back everyone who had died along the way.

"Wow," she breathed. "Just… wow. That's—I don't know. Amazing!" She paused. She was still processing the fact that the Z-Fighters had gone to other planets to fight intergalactic tyrants and that some of them died and then were wished back. _'These guys practically laugh in death's face!'_ "And what happened next?"

"Trunks showed up; Gero, Androids," he paused. "Cell…"

That had her interest. "Cell?"

"Yeah," he nodded. He explained that Goku had defeated the Red Ribbon Army long ago, and how Doctor Gero still had that grudge against him. He explained that Trunks came from the future to warn them about the androids and Goku's disease.

"So now we've got time travel and other dimensions, huh," she commented, a little smile on her face. "We went back to Sci-Fi now."

Gohan laughed, and then he continued with his story. He explained that Gero created androids to attack them and that they trained three years to fight them. He explained how Gero turned himself into an android and that Number 19 and Sixteen showed up in this universe. He explained about Goku's heard virus and how Trunks' medicine helped him to get better. It was then he got to the part he didn't really want to explain, but he knew he had to. "And then we found this time machine, and we realized that there was another time traveler. It was another creation of Gero's, Cell…"

She blinked. "So, Cell was the creation of this mad scientist?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "He was created using all of our DNAs. See, Gero had a bug robot or something follow us and take our DNA so he could create Cell. So he was crazy strong. Then he went and absorbed millions to get stronger. It was on TV. Remember when towns were wiped out and only clothes were left?"

Videl sighed shakily and nodded. She couldn't ever forget something like that. Back then, she had quite some few nightmares with that. "I remember. So, that was all Cell?"

"That was all Cell," he confirmed. "But to… evolve, I guess, he needed to absorb Seventeen and Eighteen. We tried to stop him but he managed to absorb the androids anyway and he ended up reaching his 'perfect form'," he did air quotes with his hands when he said that. "Then he decided to hold this tournament to test his strength—that would be the Cell Games."

"I see…"

"By this point we were training hard to get Cell. I trained with my dad for a whole year in a room in which a year is a day in this dimension."

She stared at him. "What?"

"I know this sounds impossible, but there's this room, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, in which a year in there is a day out here."

"Not weird at all," she commented, breaking the silence that followed his statement.

He shrugged. "You get used to this. Anyway, my dad trained me to become a Super Saiyan. Wanted me to reach the next level. He said I even did it at some point, even though it was for a second and the next I was out cold. Then we came out and found out about the Cell Games. My dad decided to relax until the tournament. Said that training more wasn't worth it and that we had to relax. It was around this time we found out your dad was gonna participate."

"Yeah, he announced it on TV," she remembered, frowning. "Dad always loves to make stuff big."

"I guess. Anyway, the day arrived, and we went to fight. Then we realized your dad was there. And he wanted to fight first so we let him. He wouldn't listen…"

"Dad never listens," she commented drily.

"Yeah, okay, so Cell bitch-slapped him into a mountain." He saw Videl wince. "What?"

"I don't know. It's just—that sound harsh," she explained.

"It was true though. And to be honest, the only reason he didn't die was because Cell thought he wasn't worth killing."

She gritted her teeth. Her father annoyed her sometimes, but it angered her that Cell didn't take him seriously. He was the World Champion! "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," he nodded, not noticing the harshness in her tone as his was very casual. "Anyway, after that, my dad fought him. You saw it on TV, probably."

"Yeah, I did. The whole world did. I can't believe that was Goku, though. He was awesome in that fight." She'd believed they were all tricks like her father had explained, but now that she knew about Ki, she knew just how good Goku did during that fight. He'd almost finished Cell once. "He didn't win, though."

"He would've if Cell hadn't stolen that Senzu Bean," Gohan muttered. He noticed Videl was staring at him in confusion. "The Senzu Beans are magic beans that heal any injury. Trunks—the one from the future—brought some with him. He threw one to my dad, but Cell went and caught it. He ate it, healing himself while leaving my dad weakened."

"What the hell?! Isn't that, like, cheating?" If there was anything Videl didn't like, it was cheating. She liked fair-play. "That sucks!"

"Cell didn't really have any honor." Which Gohan still had a hard time understanding because Cell had Saiyan DNA, and to Saiyans, honor was very important. "So he started to beat my dad around and I was getting angry. He noticed that and decided to make us join the fight. So, he went and created these Cell Juniors so that we could have a team-battle or something like 'at."

"I remember that," she nodded. "That fight was crazy. It was around this time the TV was cut off."

Gohan nodded once, jerkily. "Yeah…" He'd reached the part that she didn't know about, and he was afraid of how she could react when she found out the truth. "Well, that was on me. You see, we were fighting, I was frustrated, because I couldn't reach the power I got in the Room of Spirit and Time… so, I got distracted… and Cell attacked me... Dad took the blast for me."

"He protected you," Videl said quietly and he nodded.

"Yeah, and I… I _snapped_." Gohan could remember that moment vividly. "I went further—to the other level. I reached Super Saiyan 2. And it was amazing, Videl. The power I had… It made me feel invincible. It also made me get cocky…" He was still ashamed of it, even though everyone told him he was just a kid and that it was just natural to get cocky. "And when I got Cell to spit out Eighteen…" He saw Videl's disgusted face. "Yeah, I know, disgusting. But, he lost power then. He wasn't 'perfect' anymore, and he got desperate. He practically turned himself into a bomb—he was going to explode and take the Earth with him."

"No way…" Videl muttered in shock. Her father had never told her this!

"Yeah… and I didn't know what to do. I thought I failed everyone, y'know? Then my dad…" He paused and took a deep breath. Goku may have been brought back to life the very same day, but it still pained Gohan to think about his father's death. "My dad… went and… teleported himself and Cell somewhere else… He sacrificed himself."

Videl could see how hard it was for Gohan to talk about it, and she felt sorry for him. "At least Goku is here, living… You brought him back, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded, looking away. "But that doesn't mean that my dad had to die. If I hadn't gotten so cocky, we wouldn't have had to wish him back again in the first place."

"People make mistakes, Gohan," Videl said. "And that was seven years ago. Don't blame yourself about it."

He sighed and nodded. "Anyway, turns out Cell survived. He came back and killed Trunks. Vegeta went berserk and tried to kill Cell, but Cell beat him. I ended up bustin' my arm to save Vegeta."

"Is this the part when my dad steps in and takes on Cell?" Videl asked. Her father hadn't really been mentioned after Cell had slapped him and she wanted to know what role he had on the whole thing. Hercule claimed to beat Cell, and she believed him.

"Uh…" He didn't know how to explain to her that her father never took on Cell. He didn't want to destroy her world by telling her that her father had lied to her all along. He didn't want to hurt her with that. "Well… no. No, in this part, Cell decided to destroy everything with this Kamehameha Wave. My dad contacted me from the Other World with King Kai. Remember King Kai?" She nodded. "Okay, well, he did that and told me to use all my power in one Kamehameha. So that's what I did, and with my father's coaching and my friend's help, my attack managed to overpower his and…" He looked at her, hesitating. But, he knew she would never forgive him if he lied to he came clean. "…killed him."

"Killed him?" Videl raised her eyebrows. "But… my dad didn't even fight… And he's the one who beat Cell!" she yelled. "My dad defeated him! Then how the hell did _you_ kill him when my dad said he defeated him?!"

"That what happened at the Cell Games, Videl! You told me to tell you the truth, and I told you the truth. This is what happened!"

"It _can't_ be what happened!" She knew it could be true, but she didn't want to accept it. Because if it what Gohan said was indeed true, then that would mean her dad—

"It _is_ what happened, Videl! See, this is why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to find out that—"

"That my dad lied?" It hurt to even say it. "That everything he told the world—to _me_ —wasn't true?" She didn't want to believe that her father would be capable to lie to the whole world, but deep inside, she knew he was. "So the Majin Buu thing, he didn't beat him, did he? And it wasn't a dream either, was it?"

"Videl…"

"Just tell me, Gohan! Tell me what really happened!"

Gohan could see how her eyes were shining with tears she didn't want to shed, and he nodded. There was no going back now. He explained Majin Buu's origin, and how they were warned by Supreme Kai and Kibito. He explained how after they'd failed to beat Majin Buu, they'd gone to the Lookout to teach Goten and Trunks the Fusion technique, how Goku stalled Buu and Babidi when they were going to destroy West City, when Kibito and Supreme Kai showed up and took Goku and Gohan to their planet. He told her what happened with the Z-Sword, the Elder Kai, and the Potara Earrings. He told her how Buu showed up in the Lookout and killed everyone in the world except them.

"What?!" Videl screeched. "So I… We all… We died?! It wasn't a dream?!"

"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "It was all real. You've died, Videl. You've been dead. We've all been dead."

"You died, too?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, still processing the fact that she had died once.

"I did, later," he nodded. He explained that Buu ended up killing everyone in the Lookout but Dende, Vegeta, Chimaki, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo. He then continued with how the warriors that were left fought Buu, He explained that Buu absorbed Gotenks, Piccolo, Chimaki, and himself and that Goku and Vegeta fused with the Potara Earrings and created Vegito. "And while Vegito fought Buu; Dende and Nimbus found your dad and your puppy walking around."

"So my dad didn't die?"

"No," he laughed a little. "And the reason why is kind of amazing."

She crossed her arms, her eyes still narrowed. "Humor me."

"He befriended Buu," he explained.

"What?!" Videl couldn't believe her father would be friends with the thing that was terrorizing the whole world! _'But, then again, I can't believe he lied to everyone either…'_

"I don't know the whole story, but from what Buu says, he's the one who taught Buu how to be a good person," he said. "Even when Buu was evil, he spared your dad. He didn't want to kill him. Anyway, your dad tried to fight him anyway, and even _then_ Buu didn't kill him. Vegito ended up knocking your dad out so that he didn't kill himself, and he told Dende to keep an eye on him. So they ended up going around with him and with Bee."

"So you already knew about Bee," she said drily. "When we went to the wedding and you picked me up…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Bee's a really good dog. And he adores your dad. Even then you could tell the puppy was worried for him. Dende said he went berserk when Vegito knocked him out. And he actually seemed worried for him after the whole Buu fiasco was over."

"Bee is a loyal dog," she said. _'I wonder just how much I could've found out if Bee could actually talk. I would've known what happened truly. Bee saw everything.'_

"Yeah, anyway. Vegito tricked Buu into 'absorbing' him to save all of us. Dad and Vegeta somehow defused inside of Buu—which I'm really glad about because it they'd continued being one things would've been awkward and complicated as hell." He made a face, imagining all the drama that would take place if instead of Goku and Vegeta as two different individuals it was Vegito who showed up. Goku and Vegeta had families, lives, and Vegito wouldn't have been able to keep them both as they were. "They found Buu—the good one, the one you saw with the others—in there, too, so they saved him as well."

"So the Buu that killed everyone isn't the same Buu I met?"

"No," he replied. "I'm not sure how, though, but he isn't. Anyway, I'm not sure what happened 'cause I was unconscious at the time, but I was told that the evil Buu destroyed the Earth. Dad, Vegeta, Dende, your dad, and Bee were saved, but they couldn't save us. That's when I died, and my siblings, Trunks, and Piccolo died with me, too."

"I see… So, my dad still survived?"

"Yeah, and Bee, too. I'm glad Bee survived. Anyways, I was dead, so I'm not sure what happened, but all I know was that Dad and Vegeta fought Buu, and the good Buu helped them. During the battle, Dende used the Dragon Balls to bring back the Earth and revive us all. They couldn't think of a third wish, though. They couldn't wish for Buu to be defeated. So they decided to make a Spirit Bomb." He'd explained what a Spirit Bomb was when he explained the whole Frieza incident. "And, uh, we needed energy for it, so we asked the Earthlings to help us. Old friends did, but the rest of the world…"

"We didn't give anything," she said quietly, remembering how she'd ignored the voice in her head telling her—no, _begging_ her to raise her hands up.

"I've never been so frustrated with the Earthling so much in my whole life. No matter how much we asked—begged—they ignored us. They believed we were crazy. No-one listened to us." He had never been so disappointed in the Earthlings in his life, not even when they just accepted Mr. Satan's stories and believed in them. "So we decided not to keep wasting time and instead, we asked the Saiyans and the Namekians. The moment we asked, they gave us their energy so that we could win. There are way more Earthlings compared to the Saiyans or the Namekians, but even then, their energy was enough. Well… almost. Dende had to wish for my dad's strength to be restored to win. The thing is, we _won_."

"And my dad still lied about this," she muttered.

"Your dad was knocked out during most of it so he probably explained what he had understood that had happened."

"It doesn't change the fact that he lied, Gohan!" she yelled. She knew she'd forgive her father, eventually, but for now, she was the angriest she had ever been with him. And she was also angry at the fact Gohan and his friends just kept quiet on the whole thing. "Why did you lie, too? You knew my dad was lying. Why didn't you call out on his bullshit?!"

"Honestly?" he shrugged. "Lots of reasons. Mainly that we didn't want to deal with the press. We rather be low-key, and your dad let us do just that while he went and got all the credit."

"It doesn't change the fact that you let the whole world be lied to!" she growled. "And it doesn't change the fact that you lied to _me_!"

"I didn't want to hurt you with the truth, Videl!"

"You hurt me hiding something you should've told me from the very beginning!" Perhaps she was acting this way because she was angry with her father's lies, but she really was hurt that Gohan didn't trust her enough to tell her the truth. "I can understand why you hid some things from me, and I know I made your life hell to get you to tell me, but I thought we'd reached a point in which we trusted each other. I went and told you about my problems with my dad, and you? You just stay quiet and hide things from me, things you know you should've told me!"

"What did you want me to say?! _Hey, Videl, guess what? Your dad is a fraud! Your dad has lied to everyone—he's not as strong as he says he is! He's pretty weak, actually. Even you're stronger than him!_ I couldn't just do that!"

Videl's breath got caught in her throat when Gohan claimed she was stronger than her father. That was something she had wanted to reach her entire life. That was her dream. And the fact she'd achieved it already, the fact that her father wasn't as strong as she thought he was, just didn't make it as fulfilling as she thought it'd be. It ruined it for her. So, she just got even angrier. It was the best way for her to deal with so many emotions she was experiencing. Being _angry_.

"You could've perfectly done that! You just didn't because you thought I wasn't strong enough to take it! That's what you thought, didn't you, Gohan? Well, let me tell you—I am stronger that what you think! I'm not the world. You don't need to shield me or protect me from the truth. I can handle it!"

"Videl—"

"No, Gohan!" Her voice was icy. "I don't want to talk to you right now." And as soon as she said that, she took off, flying away.

"Videl!" Gohan knew he could take off and catch up to her quickly enough, but he also knew that she needed time to cool off. Still, he was angry at how the whole conversation ended. It shouldn't have been like this! He could understand why she was mad, but she had to understand why he didn't say anything though. He didn't think she was weak. He just didn't want to destroy her world. Was that so bad? With one punch he destroyed a rock nearby in frustration. "God damn it!"


	30. Agression and Apologies

Videl was pacing around her house, trying to calm her raging emotions down. She didn't really want to be at her house, but she didn't know where else to go. Her father wasn't home—he was off training some people at his gym, which disgusted her at the moment—so she couldn't run into him and confront him, yet. It was better, though. Videl would rather be a little calmer when she had that conversation with her father. So, she settled to thinking about what had happened.

She was disgusted at her father for lying, not only to her, but to the whole world. She didn't know how he could live with that lie for seven years. She didn't think she'd be able to live with the guilt if she was him. Perhaps he fooled himself into believing his own lies as well so that he wouldn't feel guilty. She remembered her anger when she found out the truth—she couldn't believe her father had done something like that and the knowledge of it infuriated her—and how upset she had been when she realized that not only her father had lied, but Gohan had, too.

She was hurt that Gohan had hid something like that from her, but now that she had thought the situation over, she realized that she shouldn't have reacted the way she did. Gohan had legit reasons not to tell her the truth, but she'd acted on her anger. She shouldn't have. Perhaps she should've been glad that Gohan was actually telling her the truth. She wanted to apologize to him, but she didn't know how—her pride held her back.

So instead of going to look for him, she stayed at her home, pacing around, ignoring the servants as she walked past them. She was relatively quiet, lost in thought, until she ran into Bee. Just the knowledge that the dog had been a witness to all that happened made her feel frustrated.

"Why the hell can't you _talk_?!" she questioned the dog harshly. "You knew everything all along! If you could just talk, I wouldn't have gone through all this! I would've _known_!" Perhaps she looked silly, yelling at a dog, but she really was frustrated. If Bee could've communicated with her, she would've known the truth from before. She would've still been in the dark for seven years, but at least she wouldn't have gotten angry at Gohan as well. He wouldn't have had to hide anything if she'd already known. "God damn it, Bee!"

Bee just looked up at her, looking as confused as a puppy could be. Videl sighed, realizing that yelling at Bee wouldn't solve anything. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't talk. She crouched down and petted Bee. "Sorry, buddy, I just had a bad day. I found out what happened with Buu." Bee barked, as if he knew what she was talking about. "My dad and Buu were friends, weren't they?" she whispered to prevent any servant nearby to listen to her. "How the hell did that happen?"

Bee barked again, and she sighed. "Yeah, I know, you can't tell me." She stared at the dog. It was surreal to think that this was the dog that witnessed everything that had happened during the Majin Buu incident. "You met Gohan, too, didn't you? And you saw everything. Damn it, I wish I was you. I wouldn't be fed with a bunch of bullshit."

She was glad that she could talk to something—it made her feel better—but it bothered her that she got no reply. She wanted to tell someone—someone who she could talk with, have an actual conversation with and not a one-sided one like she was currently having—but she didn't know _who_ she could talk to. Then she decided—Erasa; her best friend in the whole world, who didn't hide things from her. She could almost imagine Gohan panicking in her mind, telling her it was better off as a secret, and while she could understand where he was coming from, she didn't really want to keep it a secret. Not from her best friend, at least.

She got her phone and called Erasa. It was the fastest way to contact her since she wasn't sure where she was. Erasa had mentioned a shopping trip with her cousin, and Videl found herself hoping that it was over already. Erasa didn't disappoint because she answered before the third ring.

_"Hello?"_

"It's me, E."

_"Oh, hey, Videl! How you doing, girl?"_

"I need to tell you something. Can we meet up?"

_"Vi, are you okay? Is something wrong?"_

It must've been obvious something was bothering her—so obvious people could _hear_ it in her voice. Videl smiled drily. "I'll tell you later. Can we please meet up?"

_"Um,"_ she seemed to hesitate and Videl almost lost hope. _"Yeah sure. Can it be in twenty minutes?"_

_'It's better than nothing.'_ "Yeah, sure. Is your place empty?"

_"Yeah, no-one's there. Everyone's out."_

"Could we go there? This is kinda private."

_"Yeah, no prob. See ya later then!"_

"Okay. Thanks, Erasa!" Videl hang up and sighed. "Now how to tell her the truth…" she wondered aloud to herself.

* * *

"So, what do you wanna tell me?" Erasa asked as she and Videl sat in her bed. The house was empty as Erasa had said, as all her family had a panorama. She had indeed gone shopping with her cousin, but she gave and excuse and left as soon as Videl called. She was willing to do that and more for her best friend.

_'And I still don't know how to explain this. Here goes nothing!'_ "Well, it's about Gohan…"

"About Gohan?!" Erasa squealed. "So you two already hooked up, huh?!" she questioned, grinning widely. "It's about time! Come on, tell me! How was it? What happened? Was he as amazing as you'd suspect?"

"Wh—What…" Videl stammered, her cheeks burning. " _No_!" she denied quickly. "It's not that! Gohan's the Golden Fighter! He knows how to fly and he's been teaching me—and he's an alien!"

She certainly didn't expect, after blurting all that, Erasa to laugh. "Yeah, good one, Vi," the blond girl chuckled. "Seriously, what's up? Did he turn you down?"

Videl gritted her teeth. "No, Erasa. It's got nothing to do with that." _'Now I understand why Gohan didn't want to tell anyone. This is actually really hard to explain. Oh, fuck it. I'll just show her.'_ "And I'm not joking. Look." She jumped off the bed and levitated. "See, I'm flying."

"Holy shit!" Erasa sputtered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, I know. And Gohan was the one to teach me," the black-haired girl said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Erasa exhaled shakily. "Okay, I hear you," her voice was shaky and her face showed her shock. "So, uh, what did you say? Gohan's an alien? _And_ the Golden Fighter?" Realizing what she just said, she gasped. "Oh, God…"

"Yeah." Videl sat on the bed, understanding Erasa's shock. She'd been shocked as well. "I'll start from the beginning. This will sound crazy but it's all true."

Erasa nodded. "Okay…"

* * *

After thinking again and again about the last conversation he had with Videl, Gohan found himself at Lime's home. He needed advice, but not from anyone. He needed to ask someone that had been oblivious to his world until an event had made them aware of it. And he knew the perfect person for that—Lime. Lime had what could be considered normal, Earthling girl life, until Cell killed her parents and she met him. Then, everything changed for her as she discovered a world she didn't know about.

But, Lime wasn't completely like Videl. Videl was raised as a rich girl, and the man who raised her was the man that constantly dissed the Z-Fighters and claimed all 'supernatural' things were tricks. Lime was raised as a country girl, and her grandfather was a man who had fought in the World Tournament preliminaries and knew about Ki. A man that had watched Goku and the others fight at the tournaments.

And probably that was why it was much easier for Lime to accept the truth. She'd never believed Mr. Satan's lies, so she wasn't fooled like the rest of the world. Unlike Videl, who had been a firm believer of her father's word, until he destroyed that by telling her that her father was lying.

Despite all that, Lime was probably the best person to understand what Videl was feeling.

So, that was why he sat with her in the forest, explaining everything that had happened. He explained how Broly had suddenly showed up while he was helping Videl with her flying technique, how the Z-Fighters had defeated the maniac of a Saiyan, and how Videl had watched everything. He then told her their conversation, not leaving any detail out. He explained her reaction, and that he didn't know how to fix it or make it right.

"Well, Videl was horrible to you," Lime told him, taking his side. "She shouldn't have reacted like that, after you warned her that she would probably not like the truth. But, I can understand where she's coming from as well. I mean, you're raised with the idea that your dad is the Hero of Earth and the Strongest Under the Heavens, and then you're told that it's all a lie?" _'Not to mention that the one who told her this is actually the guy she likes. That's such a huge bummer, man! I can't even imagine how disappointing that would be.'_ "It must be hard."

"I know," he sighed. "She's upset, and I don't blame her—but I don't know how to make this right, Lime! I mean, I feel like I betrayed her trust somehow. She trusted me enough to tell me stuff and yet I kept things hidden from her—things she had the right to know."

"She did have the right to know, but it shouldn't have been you who told her the truth," she comforted, rubbing his back soothingly. "It should've been her father, but unfortunately, he was too much of a coward to admit to his daughter that he was a fraud and instead he kept lying to her face. Besides, the things you kept from her have no comparison to the things she told you. The problems she had with her dad are nothing compared to the truth of the Cell Games and Majin Buu. You just can't compare that."

He sighed again. "I guess…" A moment of silence fell upon them. "How do I fix it?" he asked quietly.

"Talking to her, dumbass."

"Talking to her?! Are you crazy? After how she reacted, you think she's gonna—"

"She needed space to get her head straight, man. You just went and destroyed everything she's believed in her entire life. Of course she's gonna be hostile and irrational! But, just because she's acting this way now, it doesn't mean that she hates you or that she doesn't want to be your friend." _'Or your girlfriend.'_ "'Cause she probably does. You'll have to be patient with her as she tries to accept the truth. And you'll have to be the one who takes the first approach to talk and make everything right."

"And why me, exactly?"

"'Cause I'm pretty sure we've established she's one proud girl. She won't make it herself, even if she wants to."

Gohan laughed, knowing that was true. Videl was way too proud for her own good, even though she was starting to learn that she needed to swallow her pride one in a while. "Yeah, that sounds like Videl."

"Yeah. So, you gonna talk to her?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Tomorrow, at school. I'll make it right."

Lime smiled and patted Gohan's shoulder. "That's what I wanna hear!" She smirked. "And then you're gonna go get her, right?"

"Get her?" He blinked. "What do you mean by that?" he questioned, but as soon as he turned around and saw the smirk on Lime's face, he blushed. "Oh, come on!"

"Hey, I'm just telling you—since she's so proud, you'll have to make the first move, and not only with this conversation, yeah? If you want her to be your girlfriend, then—"

"She hasn't even forgiven me yet, and you're talking about _that_ already?! Come on! It's not the time to talk about that."

Lime shrugged. "Whatever you say." She grinned at the fact that he didn't deny that he wanted Videl to be his girlfriend, and that he was blushing so much he looked like a tomato. It was adorable. _'Gohan and Videl will end up together, I'm sure. Like, at this point, I'm totally sure. I mean, look at all this drama over this!_ _They should just get married already!'_

* * *

"You were a bitch."

It was a blunt statement— _way_ too blunt considering it was Erasa who said it—and it definitely wasn't what Videl was expecting after she finished her story. The dark-haired girl's eyes narrowed as she started into her best friend's blue eyes. "What did you say?"

"That you were a bitch," Erasa shrugged. Videl was proud, stubborn, and she had to be told things in a direct way for her to understand. It wouldn't get into her head if it wasn't. "Look, Videl… I understand where you come from, but have you tried to understand where _he_ comes from?"

"Where he comes from?"

"Yeah! I mean, Vi—the dude has saved the world how many times already? He saved _your_ life, _my_ life, _everyone_ 's lives—and he never has asked anything in return. He even let your dad get the fame and fortune of it all!" Which was surprising to Erasa, considering she'd grown up believing Mr. Satan was the strongest, but she believed what Videl was saying. It was really hard to process, but she believed it. "And he put up with your dad constantly dissing him and his family and friends and speaking badly about them. He's the hero, Videl!"

"He lied to me," Videl muttered. She knew Gohan had a legit reason to, and she knew she shouldn't have reacted the way she did, but she was too proud to apologize. And she felt like he deserved it, because he had hurt her by hiding things like that from her. "I had the right to know—about my dad, at least."

"He did things with a good reason, Videl. Knowing Gohan, he probably kept this from you so that you wouldn't get hurt. It must've been hard for him to tell you the truth, you know? And I know it's hard to process—you're not the only one having problems; my mind's blown right now—but the way you reacted about it was just wrong. Be glad he actually was willing to tell you the truth instead of lying!"

"He should've told me from the very beginning! How could he hide such a thing from me? He knew my dad was a fraud and he kept it from me!"

"To spare your feelings! And he did come clean in the end. He could've chosen to lie about it, and yet he told you everything. He came clean about it when you asked him to, Videl! And you went and was a bitch about it. I mean, if he'd told me all that and it was true, I'd have jumped him myself!"

Videl's glance fell to her hands sitting on her lap. "He came clean because I had literally witnessed how he and his friends killed a psychopath. He couldn't really lie after that, now could he?" She sighed, her gaze going back to Erasa's face and her eyes narrowing. "And that last comment was totally uncalled for!"

"Don't worry. I know he's yours," Erasa smiled and winked at her. "Seriously, though," she said, her face turning serious. "You should apologize. Swallow your pride and fix it."

Videl gave a one-shouldered shrug as she looked away. "Maybe."

"Videl, you have to! You have to make it right."

"I won't make it right unless he tries to," she huffed. "If he doesn't make an effort then I won't either."

"Whatever," Erasa rolled her eyes. "It's something." _'I know Videl's gonna end up apologizing anyways, because she is totally crushing on Gohan! And now that she knows everything about him, even his superhero past and all, there should be a bigger chance of them actually working out as a relationship! I mean, at least she knows from the get-go and she won't find out during their future relationship that is totally gonna happen,'_ she giggled.

Videl raised an eyebrow. "What are you giggling about?"

"Nothing…"

"Erasa…"

"Really, nothing! Nothing that matters to you, anyway."

"How come I don't believe you?"

Erasa shrugged, giving her most innocent look. "I dunno."

* * *

Gohan was determined talk to Videl and make things right. So determined, that he even ended up ditching his usual Monday morning—or any school day morning for the matter—routine. When Goten went to wake him up, the seven-year-old was surprised to see his older brother—who would usually be out as a rock—already dressed. And Goten wasn't the only one surprised—when Goku, Chi-Chi, and Chimaki noticed Gohan wasn't running late, they just _knew_ something was up.

And considering what had happened yesterday, they concluded it was very probable that it had to do with Videl.

Which was absolutely correct, and when Gohan arrived to school, the first thing he did was to run to his classroom to look for the blue-eyed girl. She wasn't there, but it was still pretty early, so it wasn't so surprising. It wasn't strange for Videl to be late, so he'd just have to wait for her.

That's when Erasa arrived. She looked kind of surprised to see him there, but there was a knowing look in her eye for some reason. "Hey, Gohan!" she greeted. She was still processing what she had learned yesterday. It was kind of weird seeing him after all Videl told her—it really made her see him in a completely different light, and she had tons of questions—but she knew it wasn't the time or place to talk about it. They weren't alone in the classroom; and to be fair, Gohan had no idea that she was aware of the truth.

Gohan looked at her and smiled. "Hey, Erasa!"

"You're here a little early than usual," she commented casually. She knew Gohan, and she was aware that it was really unlike him to be there at school so early. _'I wonder why… I bet it's 'cause of what Videl told me. He probably wants to fix things—which is great!'_

"Yeah…" Gohan replied, a bit nervously. _'I wonder if Videl told her about me?'_ He knew Videl and Erasa were best friends, and he knew Videl had promised Erasa that she would tell her everything about the Golden Fighter. _'I hope not, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did. A promise's a promise. Erasa's acting way too normal though… I don't think she knows.'_

His theory went to hell when Erasa looked around, making sure no-one would overhear her, and leaned over to whisper to Gohan. "I know."

"You do?" Gohan screamed in a silent whisper. He knew there was the possibility Videl told Erasa, but now that he knew she did, he wasn't sure what to do. For all he knew, Erasa might've already told everyone even though he hoped that wasn't the case. Erasa was loyal to Videl. She didn't tell secrets—but what if Videl wanted her to tell the world?

She nodded. "Don't worry—I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"You won't?"

Erasa shook her head. "Of course not! I'm not gonna go and tell something like that. I wouldn't do that to you. If anything, I owe you a thanks for everything you've done."

Gohan blinked. No-one out of their circle of friends, family, and a bunch of aliens have ever _thanked_ him for saving the world. He didn't even know how to react to it! "Oh, um… no need to thank me! It's not such a big deal…"

Erasa's face had disbelief written all over it. "That's bullshit and you know it!" She leaned over, hugged him—much to his surprise—and whispered in his ear. "Saving the world is a _huge_ deal." She pulled back and shook her head. "You can be so humble… It's cute," she winked with a smile.

Gohan smiled at her, feeling at ease. _'I think I can actually trust her with this. And she's not mad about me hiding it or anything. She actually thanked me! I'm glad…'_

"I understand why you hid it," the blonde said. "And I think Videl does, too, deep inside. She's too stubborn, though. Lemme tell you a secret." She leaned closer to him. "She wants to fix it, but she won't do anything unless you do."

"Yeah, I figured I had to be the one to talk first." _'Well, Lime did. Seems she was right. Actually, she's always right!'_ "You think she'll hear me out?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "Depends on how stubborn she's being today." Gohan opened his mouth to reply when he spotted Sharpner walking towards them.

"Holy shit! Gohan is here and he's not late! What is this miracle?" the blond teen announced loudly.

Gohan shrugged. "Miracles happen, I guess." He looked over to Erasa who winked at him. Erasa and Gohan didn't talk about what had happened anymore; instead they talked with Sharpner about random things until the bell rang.

And Videl was still nowhere in sight.

She arrived later, by the time the first class was starting, and excused herself to go sit down. Apparently, there was another robbery to deal with. Gohan was relieved that she actually came to school, but she didn't make an effort to talk to him or anything—not to mention they were at class and they couldn't talk about it there. They had to talk somewhere private, and Gohan found himself being impatient. Usually, class entertained him—especially science—but that day he only wished for it to end so that he and Videl could talk. He just hoped Erasa was right and that Videl was willing to fix things.

* * *

Gohan loved Erasa when the bell that signalized the first bill rang and she stood and left the classroom, dragging Sharpner with her, claiming that she needed to speak to a teacher. She'd winked at Gohan on her way out, and it was all Gohan needed to know that Erasa was doing that so that he could talk to Videl. Videl seemed to notice too, and she didn't seem too happy about it. She stood, about to leave when Gohan got a hold of her arm.

"Videl, wait," he told her. "We have to talk."

Videl sighed, but she didn't fight or anything. "Okay, sure."

Gohan led Videl to the rooftop—the only place at the whole school in which they seemed to be able to talk privately. That's where Gohan, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner ran off to when the whole school found out Gohan was Goku's son, and that was where Gohan told Videl about his tail. Surely it would be a useful place one more time. Gohan was kind of hoping Videl would say something—it might make all this easier—but she didn't, so he guessed he had to be the one to talk.

Problem was; he had no idea what to say!

But, Videl was looking at him with that _look_ that told him he better talk quickly or else she won't be happy. _'I better say something!'_ "Yeah, so yesterday happened…" _'This has got to be the worse beginning of an apology I've ever said!'_ "I… I'm not really sure how I—how I explained things—I mean; not the best of explanations, yeah? I think? So, I figured we should talk and all…"

The response he got was a blank stare and a mumbled, "Mhm," which was enough to set him off into panic mode.

"Look, I'm sorry! I'm sorry about this—about keeping it a secret and all. I didn't—I just didn't want you to be hurt, okay? And I… I dunno, I figured the best way was to keep this whole thing hidden. I'm not used to hanging with what could be called 'ordinary people' on a daily basis; I was told I should better hide my powers and that's why I did. But, then you began finding out the truth and I didn't know what to do—I tried to stop you from finding out but you're practically Sherlock Holmes so I couldn't do anything and I… Well, this whole thing—aliens and gods and psychopaths like Broly kinda thing—it's just, it's not for ordinary humans, you know? I mean, look what happened with your dad at the Cell Games! He wasn't really prepared—"

"That's bullshit," Videl cut in, her eyes narrowed. She was not having a good day—she'd woken up on the wrong foot; she'd had to avoid her father not to scream at his face—and she wasn't up to listening to excuses that didn't sit well with her. The way he was talking came off as arrogant to her and she didn't appreciate it. "You keep talking about 'ordinary humans', as if you were so superior. As if you were just looking down at us from your fucking mighty Saiyan tower!"

Gohan frowned at the accusation. After all he'd been through, he still did everything he could to keep it all a secret and stay humble. It was a bit hurting that she thought otherwise, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. "You're the one to talk—you're the girl that goes beating criminals up to show the world what a hero you are."

"You know damn well that's not the reason, _Golden Fighter_!" she spat mockingly. "I'm not like you."

"You think I am the Golden Fighter just for fame? Really? Then if that's the case, how come I'm not a millionaire right now? I'm not like your dad who got rich out of the real heroes fighting. You do realize that if this secret gets out, you and your dad lose everything, right?"

She did know that, and a part of her was glad that the Z-Fighters hadn't screwed them over like that, but she was just too furious at the moment to care. "And that shouldn't be any of your concern! Same goes to this ordinary human," she pointed to herself. "I'm done!"

Gohan watched her storm off and sighed. "You stupid idiot!" he scolded himself, running a hand through his face. _'I was supposed to apologize and make this right, not fight with her! Surely she doesn't make it any easier for me—but she's Videl—she's never done it any easier for me. And she's upset; I shouldn't've said what I said. She took it all wrong!_ _Damn it. What do I do now?'_

* * *

Erasa noticed Videl was distracted during classes, and she also noted that she was avoiding them. When lunch came about, Videl disappeared, claiming she had a crime to stop. Erasa knew Videl enough to know something was seriously bothering her, but she didn't want to ask and risk Videl going off in front of other people. So, instead, she waited until school finished and they were on their way home.

"You've been acting weird all day, Videl," Erasa commented, glancing at her best friend. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Videl snapped.

Erasa's eyebrows raised. "Doesn't seem like nothing to me."

"It's none of your business," the shorter girl mumbled.

"You're my best friend, girl. I am pretty sure that when something is bothering you, it is my business."

Videl sighed, knowing Erasa was the only person in the world she could talk to right now. "Gohan tried to apologize."

_'I knew it!'_ "Well, that's big of him…" She saw Videl's expression and could tell right away what had happened. "And you didn't accept his apology, did you?"

"Pretty much."

_'Of course she didn't. Videl can be so stubborn sometimes…'_ "How come?"

"He tried to explain, but his explanation sounded like such bullshit to me. It seemed like he thinks he's superior than 'ordinary humans' because he's a Saiyan and whatnot."

Erasa snorted. "Gohan? Thinking he's superior? Really?" She shook her head. "Don't you think you took it the wrong way?"

"You don't get it, Erasa! He accused me of beating criminals up just for being a hero." She leaned over near Erasa and whispered. "He shoved in my face that if it wasn't for this secret of his, my dad and I wouldn't be rich."

"Which is true," Erasa shrugged. "Videl, I talked to Gohan this morning. He really wanted to fix things. I don't think he said all those stuff to make you feel bad. He was probably trying to prove a point. Let's be honest, this isn't stuff you can go share with the world."

"Still didn't give him the right to say those things."

"Knowing you, you didn't make it easy for him, did you?"

"I just said what I was thinking," Videl defended herself.

"And what exactly did you tell him?"

"Well, I didn't say much at first, but then he gave me that explanation, and I told him that it was bullshit and that he thinks he's superior to normal people. Then, when he said I went around beating criminals up to be known as a hero, I told him that it wasn't true and that I wasn't like him. And when he said that Dad's money came from their secret and that we'd lose everything if it came out, I told him it was none of his business."

Erasa sighed. "Yep, I was right—you didn't cooperate with him at all."

Videl pursed her lips when she heard her friend's comment, and thought about what she had said. _'Maybe I was too mean with him. I mean, I was having a bad day already…'_ "Okay, so I may have been a bit…"

"Unreasonable? Bitchy? Mean? Yeah. Yeah, you were. For goodness' sakes, girl! I thought you said you were actually gonna make an effort if he did—which he did—but clearly you didn't. Listen, if he tries to apologize again—and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't—try to be more receptive! You only ever get this angry with people when you care, you know? We both know you care about this, so don't act like you don't. I told you, Vi—get over your pride and fix it!"

Videl felt a bit of guilt at how she acted, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she nodded slowly. "I'll try."

"You'll try or you'll do it?"

She sighed. "I'll do it."

"Good!"


	31. Fixing It Up

Gohan had never been in such a situation before. And, to be honest, he had absolutely no idea how to fix it. But, he really wanted to. For that reason, he decided to go ask for advice. However, his advice hunting wouldn't exactly go as he expected.

* * *

The first person he went for advice was his father. Despite living on Earth pretty much all his life, the Saiyan had never completely gotten used to Earthling's culture. However, he was surprisingly good giving advice to people. His advice was usually simple, yet legit. Gohan was hoping that would be the case this time as well.

Goku stood in front of his son, pondering the situation. "Well, I'm no expert… but if she cares for you, then she'll make the next move, I think. At least your mother did for me."

_'Well, it's true that Mom and Videl are pretty similar, so I guess he has a point… but I don't know.'_ "Thanks, Dad." _'Maybe I should ask someone else—see what they think.'_

* * *

Somehow he ended up talking to his mother about it. Since Chi-Chi and Videl were so similar in some aspects, Gohan figured Chi-Chi could help.

"Oh, you're _just_ like your father!" Chi-Chi gushed. "You're definitely his son. You know, when we were around your age…"

Gohan sweatdropped as Chi-Chi began telling him a story of her and Goku as teenagers. It seemed like she completely forgot he was asking for advice in the first place. _'Oh, well, might as well ask someone else,'_ he mused, slipping away from the kitchen quietly. He just hoped Chi-Chi wouldn't murder him when she realized he'd left in the middle of her story.

* * *

He called to Planet Vegeta, thinking that perhaps his grandfather or uncles could help him. Bardock was the one who happened to answer the call.

_"Well, boy, if I were you I'd spar with her. That solves a lot of problems,"_ Bardock said.

Gohan sweatdropped. "I don't think she would take too kindly to that."

_"Then I sure as hell have no idea what to do,"_ the older Saiyan snorted. _"I'd tell you to have sex with her, but I know you won't do that."_

_"Bardock!"_ Gine scolded. _"Don't listen to your grandfather, Gohan. He's talking nonsense. I think you should talk to your special someone—work it out. Not everything needs fighting to be solved."_

_'That makes sense, but I don't really think Videl would listen to me. I don't even know what to say.'_ For a second, Gohan considered asking for his uncles and aunts, but he quickly decided it was a bad idea. Mato, Tanip, Raditz, and Kyuri were all Saiyans that probably didn't understand humans that well. And the same went for his grandparents. _'I don't even know why I thought it'd be a good idea to call.'_ "Thanks, Grandma."

* * *

Even though he'd decided moments ago that he'd call no more Saiyans, he ended up calling Tarble. He wasn't raised with other Saiyans. He might have an idea of what to do.

_"I'm not sure what to say,"_ Tarble said. _"My wife fell in love with me because I risked my life to save her planet, among other reasons. But, that Videl girl got angry with you over that…"_

"Over keeping that a secret," Gohan corrected.

_"Yeah, that. I think you should talk to her. Maybe you could ask Bulma. She knows more than I do about human girls."_

Gohan smiled. "Thanks, Tarble. That's the smartest idea I've heard of all day."

* * *

Gohan flew to Capsule Corporation, wanting to talk to Bulma. He ran into Vegeta, and figured that maybe Vegeta would be able to help him.

That smirk Vegeta had on his face was kind of freaking him out though. "The solution is to fuck her until the problem fades away," the prince told him, the smirk never leaving his face. "Now fuck off!" He let out a laugh, walking away to the Gravity Chamber, leaving a blushing Gohan behind.

* * *

"Well," Bulma began, having already been told the whole story by Gohan. "Personally, I don't think she's worth the effort. You're a catch, you know? You should aim higher." She shrugged. "I mean, if Vegeta wasn't around, and you weren't like a nephew to me, I'd be after, too."

Gohan blushed in embarrassment, but nodded nonetheless. "Thanks, Bulma…"

* * *

"There's always plenty out there, buddy," Yamcha shrugged. "You're young, you're strong. You're a teenager! Gotta experience before settling down, y'know? Go win a tournament, win some cash, and just put the money out on a finish line. You'll reel in a dozen girls hotter than this Videl girl."

Violet hit Yamcha's arm. "Do not make him a playboy!" she scolded. "He's right in the teenager part though," she said to Gohan. "You're young—you have to experience life. Videl's not the only girl in the world."

"I guess…" _'But, she's the only girl I've ever had a crush on. That should make her different, right?'_ "Thanks, guys."

* * *

"Personally, I think the fact you actually _came_ to me for advice shows just how desperate you are," Tien deadpanned.

Chiaotzu shrugged. "Well, I am no help. Sorry, Gohan."

Gohan smiled at Chiaotzu. "It's okay." He looked at Tien hopefully. "You can help, though, right? I mean, you're with Launch…"

"That's only because I had to chase him half through the fuckin' world for him to notice me!" Launch said loudly, her green eyes flashing. She walked to Gohan and put an arm around his shoulders. "You should keep insisting until she pays attention. It worked for me, it'll work for you."

Tien shrugged. "Well, I ignored you for a while and it worked. That should work for you, too, Gohan."

Gohan sweatdropped. _'I didn't get anywhere….'_ "Thanks, guys."

* * *

"Girls are complicated, man," Seventeen shrugged. "I'll never understand 'em, and I never will."

"You are married!"

"I know," the blue-eyed cyborg shrugged. "Doesn't mean I understand girls. Look, I think you should keep away from her for a while. Save yourself the headache. Maybe later when she's blown off some steam she'll be normal enough to talk with."

"She goes to the same school as me and she's in my class. I can't avoid her."

"Who said, 'avoid her'," Seventeen raised his eyebrows. "I said, 'keep away,' not 'avoid.'"

_'I don't even know which one is worse. Considering it's Videl…'_ "Thanks, Seventeen."

* * *

Gohan landed on Kame Island, and the first person he saw was Master Roshi reading some of his magazines. "Master Roshi—actually, I'm good." He knew nothing good would come out if he asked Roshi. "Where's Krillin and Eighteen?"

"They're inside, m'boy!" Roshi replied, not taking his eyes off his magazine.

"Okay, thanks," he smiled and went inside.

* * *

"Well, Krillin is the only guy I remember dating," Eighteen said. "So my experience doesn't go too far. But, listen, I fell for him because even though he was one of the weakest, he still tried his best. He was sweet and heroic and he tried to save me over and over no matter what. I don't think saving Videl would help your cause though. I think it would probably just piss her off more. So, let's see… Krillin never gave up on me. He was always there for me and he always tried to make me happy."

"So, you're saying I should be there for her and make her happy?" Gohan asked her. "How can I do that? She doesn't even wanna see me right now!

"I'd wait until she'd cooled off. She may come to you. If not, you might as well try to get in her good graces again. If it doesn't work, then don't get so disappointed. I mean, you're young and handsome. You could aim higher. I might've actually liked you if I were I teenager."

Gohan blushed. _'What's up with all the women my family knows?'_ "Thanks, Eighteen."

* * *

"I can't believe you came to me for advice on women," Krillin shook his head.

"Hey, you married Eighteen! You should know a thing or two."

"Yeah, but I don't really have much experience, see? But, anyway, from what you've told me, it sounds like her pride is hurt. When you realize you're never going to reach your dream something inside you dies, until you find a better dream like I did. She'll get over it, and then she'll be more likely to come around. I'd get somebody involved in this life to talk to her. It may help."

Gohan smiled. "Thanks, Krillin." _'That makes sense, but I don't wanna drag someone into all this._ _Other than giving me advice, I mean.'_

* * *

"I know nothing about women, or couples. They still confuse the hell out of me," Piccolo said. "And I don't even know why you're making such a big deal out of it. But, I know you care, so I suggest you give her space. Maybe she needs time to cool off."

Dende nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. You should leave her be for a little while. She'll talk to you when she cools off."

Gohan nodded slowly. "Krillin says I should get someone to talk to her, but I don't wanna drag anyone into this."

"You mean, other than asking everyone advice?" Piccolo smirked.

Gohan laughed. "Yeah, I guess. Anyways, I should get going. Thanks, guys!"

Gohan took off the Lookout and flew straight to his home. He had to think on what his friends and family had told him to figure out the best course of action.

"Get someone to talk to her, huh?" Piccolo muttered. "Dende, I'll be right back."

Dende looked up at him in surprise. "You're actually doing it?"

"You saw how much he's worked up over this," Piccolo said. "I'm going to do him a favor and help him."

* * *

Videl was lying in bed that afternoon after school, just thinking. She was thinking about the conversation she and Gohan had earlier that day, how it went to hell, and pondering on what Erasa had told her when they were going home. She knew her best friend was right. She'd told Erasa she'd do it—she'd get over her pride, be more receptive, fix it—but she wasn't sure how. She hoped Gohan came to apologize again because, honestly, she didn't know how to approach him. But, she knew Erasa was right when she told her she wouldn't be surprised if Gohan didn't even try now.

Honestly, Videl wouldn't be either.

_'Maybe he doesn't know what to do now, either,'_ she mused. _'I have to figure out a way to talk to him if he doesn't talk to me. We can't avoid each other at school. So, I guess that's a good thing… I think.'_

As Videl tried to cook up a good plan in her mind, she saw some light come from her window. That was pretty much impossible… unless it was Ki. And Videl was pretty sure it was Ki. It was either that, or a miniature sun had appeared outside her window. So, yeah, Ki was it.

_'Is it Gohan?'_ she wondered, feeling slightly nervous—but she got up from the bed and made her way to her window. She didn't see Gohan—instead, she saw that tall, green guy. The reincarnation of the Demon King Piccolo, an alien— _Namekian_ , if she remembered correctly—that had fused with Kami. She had no idea what _he_ was doing at her house when he hadn't really spared a look at her after they'd defeated Broly. _'What's he doing here? Maybe Gohan asked him to come?'_

"Uh, hello," she greeted. She wasn't scared of Piccolo, but she'd never talked to him before—or to a green man for that matter—and she didn't really know what to say. "Did, um—did Gohan ask you to come here?"

Piccolo let out a laugh. "No. He doesn't know I'm here. He'd probably have a heart attack if he knew."

Videl blinked. "Uh, really?" She cleared her throat and shifted her weight to her left leg nervously. "So, um, if you're not here because Gohan asked you to, then why…?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Piccolo snorted, shaking his head.

"Um… no. Not really…"

Piccolo shook his head and sighed. _'Is she really that clueless?'_ "Look, just because he didn't _ask_ me to talk to you, it doesn't mean he doesn't have anything to do with me being here."

She tensed. "So, it _is_ about Gohan."

"It is," he confirmed. "I'm going to be honest with you; I don't understand humans. I have been living in this planet my whole life and I _still_ don't get them. And I probably never will. However, it seems to me that Gohan was doing the right thing in not telling you the truth. Or, at least, he was trying to."

Videl snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, and who are _you_ to talk to me about this?" she questioned, having an attitude.

"God," came the reply from him and Videl found herself relaxing a little bit when seeing the smirk on his face. He seemed to be in a good mood which she guessed was good. And he was speaking the truth; he actually was technically a God, even though it was still strange in Videl's mind and it probably hadn't sunk in yet.

"Yeah, yeah. You fused with Kami, right? So, you're technically a God and—oh, my god, that's so weird to say. I'm talking to a god!" Apparently, it sunk in just now.

"Yes, you are," Piccolo smirked. "And you're supposed to listen to God's word, right?"

Videl raised her eyebrows. "To be honest with you, _God_ , I'm starting to doubt that since I _know_ you used to be an evil man. I don't think I'm supposed to listen to an evil man—god or not."

Piccolo smirked, honestly impressed by her answer. _'She's got guts and she's clever. Maybe I can understand a little why Gohan likes her…'_ "Yeah, well, I'm not evil anymore. And I'm pretty sure the main reason was Gohan—first person in the world to treat me as a friend, and not a monster, or a potential danger. He showed me what good was like."

He smiled, remembering the days when he bonded with four-year-old Gohan. Goku had never been _bad_ around him—he seemed to believe Piccolo could be a good person—but he was aware of Piccolo being a dangerous enemy. It was Gohan—the innocent child who hadn't been there to witness Piccolo's evil nature—that didn't see Piccolo as a threat. Although, as a kid, he'd thought Piccolo was scary, it hadn't stopped him from being friendly towards him.

The kid rubbed off him.

"He's fought for innocent lives, putting his own life in risk doing so, and never asking anything in return," Piccolo continued. "Hell, he even let your father—"

"Please, don't go there." Videl frowned a bit irritably. "I'm still mad about that. Don't remind me about it."

"Point is, he's about as selfless as it can be," Piccolo said. "He has good intentions, Videl. All I ask is that you get over yourself and make up with him."

Videl sighed, letting her defenses drop and dropping her arms to her sides. "I don't think it'd work even if I wanted by this point…"

Piccolo snorted. "You're kidding, right? I can tell you want to fix it, and let me tell you, he definitely wants to fix it as well. He was literally going asking everywhere for advice. That pretty much gives it away. You practically have one of the strongest beings in the universe wrapped around your finger."

Videl let out a small laugh. "Do I really?"

"Damn right you do."

_'You know what… Fuck it, I'm fixing this. I'm gonna fix this!'_ "Alright, I'll talk to him." _'I'm gonna talk to him and we're gonna fix this and move on. Yeah, that's what we're gonna do.'_

Piccolo nodded. "Good." He turned to leave, but stopped and looked over his shoulder at Videl. "You better appreciate him. He's one of the best people you'll ever meet."

"I know," Videl said, locking eyes with Piccolo.

Piccolo smirked. "You're not so bad, Satan girl. By the way, don't tell Gohan I was here. He'd die."

She laughed. "I won't."

Piccolo nodded once more and took off flying. She stood back, watching the figure disappear into the sky. She shook her head, sighed once more, and went to her bed.

"So, I just talked to a god, huh," she murmured. "Now, that's totally normal."

* * *

Gohan was having a panic crisis.

He was pretty sure he spent hours pondering all the advice he'd got the day before, wondering what was the best course of action. Unfortunately, he'd fallen asleep in the middle of his musings, and by the time he'd woken up in the morning he was: 1) late for class, and 2) with no plan. So yay.

At least he'd arrived at time. Of course, he'd barely had the time to say _hi_ to his friends before sitting down and listening to the professor. The good news was that he didn't have to talk with Videl now. The bad news was that the class was about to end, recess was going to start, and he didn't know what was gonna happen.

Gohan really found himself wishing class wouldn't end—

_RING!_

Well, damn.

_'Maybe it'd be easier if Videl was the one to talk to me,'_ he mused, his stomach clenching with nerves. _'Then at least I wouldn't have to start the conversation, although I don't know what I'd do if she actually—'_

"Hey, Gohan!"

_'You have got to be kidding me…'_

Because when Gohan looked up, he saw Videl standing next to him. He looked around and noticed that everyone else had left—even Erasa and Sharpner had disappeared—and he was alone in the classroom with Videl. And, yeah, he'd been kind of hoping Videl would start the conversation—but that didn't mean he'd thought she'd _actually_ do it!

And as it was; he had no plan and he didn't know what to do.

"Y—Yeah, Videl?"

"We need to talk," Videl said, trying to keep her voice straight and happy that she'd managed to do so. Her stomach was clenching with nerves and she wasn't sure what she'd say, but at least she'd had the guts to start the conversation.

And she was covering her nerves well, because Gohan didn't notice them at all. Although to be honest, Gohan probably wouldn't notice anything because his brain was clouded with this nervous feeling he wasn't used to. He'd gotten nervous before, yes, of course—but he'd never gotten so damn nervous over talking to someone, like, _ever_! And the way Videl had told him that they needed to talk was honestly kind of freaking him out—but without the _kind of_.

So, in his panicked state, he only managed to nod his head shakily and mutter an, "O—Okay," as he internally wondered where the fearless warrior he knew he could be had gone.

Okay, so this wasn't a battle. Or maybe it was, but it was a different kind of battle. Either way, he could really use some of his, 'I'm not gonna be scared, I'm not gonna give up,' attitude right about now.

Stupid nerves!

They ended up in the roof, which at this point was their Official (Secret and Private) Conversation Place, and sat on the floor. Gohan was, to put it plainly, absolutely terrified and he once again found himself wondering where the fearless warrior he knew he could be had gone.

God damn you, _Fearless Warrior He Knew He Could Be_!

He didn't know what to think of the situation. He didn't know what intentions Videl had. And, although he was hoping for the best, the way things had ended up yesterday had him imagining the worst.

"So, um, wh—what do we have to t—talk about?" he asked nervously, not thinking—and once he actually _realized_ what he'd said, he entered into a whole 'nother level of absolute _panic_. " _Shit_! I, uh, I—I didn't mean it that way—I mean, I _know_ what we're gonna talk about. Or at least I have an idea… Uh, well, I t—think I get the whole idea. Although may—maybe I don't, 'cause you seem so calm and not mad and I'm—I'm just gonna shut up now…"

_'Idiot!'_ he scolded himself quietly. _'Way too screw it all up! No wonder she gets mad!'_ "I'm sorry," he found himself saying after a pause, looking at the floor nervously. _'I've screwed this up so badly…'_

As he ranted and scolded himself in his mind, Videl watched in amusement and surprise. She couldn't stop her lips from curling upwards into a little smirk. It amazed her how the guy she'd witnessed fight fearlessly and help kill someone was pretty much losing his shit over talking to her. It made her feel… _special_ , actually. It meant that she really did mean something to him—that she had influence on him.

Piccolo was right. She really did have one of the strongest beings in the universe wrapped around her finger.

That was pretty rad!

"It's okay," she shrugged after he'd apologized.

Gohan saw the smile in Videl's face, and he began to relax a little bit, smiling back at her. _'Okay, so maybe I didn't screw up that bad…'_

"And as for what we're gonna talk about," she continued, watching as nervousness showed up in his features once again. "We're gonna talk to fix this up."

"Fix this up?" Gohan echoed, a smile forming in his face.

"That's right," she smiled back. "We're fixing this up."

"Okay, so I guess I should begin, huh? Well, I'm sorry. I know I told you before, but I'm really sorry. I shouldn't've—"

He was interrupted when Videl covered his mouth with her hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she told him.

Gohan looked at her in surprise, letting out a, "But…" that was mumbled by her palm.

She shook her head. "No, no buts. You already explained yourself and apologized. It's my turn now. I need to say this, alright?"

Gohan nodded slowly, and Videl uncovered his mouth.

"Okay, so listen… I understand you. I understand you, and why you did what you did. I get it. It's just—I was mad and upset, felt kinda betrayed, I was pissed as hell, and you were the easiest one to blame. I took it out on you. I was harsh—okay, no… I wasn't just harsh, I was a total bitch. It took someone to shove it on my face," she said, thinking of when Erasa had told her she'd been a bitch, "and force me to see things your way," she continued, thinking of Erasa telling her to see things through Gohan's perspective, and then Piccolo telling her what a good person with good intentions Gohan actually was, "to see it, but I see it now."

It sucked to think that if it wasn't for Erasa and Piccolo she might've actually never tried to fix it with Gohan. God damn her pride, sometimes. "I'm sorry, Gohan."

"It's okay, Videl," Gohan smiled at her. "You were upset. I get it. Finding out the truth probably wasn't the easiest thing for you."

"It really wasn't," she mumbled.

"If you don't mind me asking though, who was this someone that helped you to understand me?" he asked curiously, a part of him nervously wondering whether she'd told someone else about his secrets, although he doubted it.

"Erasa," she told him. _'And Piccolo.'_ The Namekian had asked her to keep it a secret, and she would, but that didn't mean she wasn't glad for his help. _'I'll have to thank him when I see him again.'_

Gohan laughed. "I'll have to thank her, then, 'cause I'm glad we're good again." A pause. "We _are_ good again, right?"

"Damn right we are!" she laughed. "And now that we're past this awkward, angry fighting phase, I'd like to have some fun." She wondered if it was too soon, or if it was even a good idea in the first place, but she was feeling bold and she was worried that this would be the only chance she'd have. And if she lost it, she'd regret it. _'Okay, here goes nothing!'_ "I hear _Deadpool_ is an amazing movie. I'm free on Saturday."

Gohan smiled. "Yeah, I've heard it's pretty good. We could go on Saturday then."

Videl smiled widely. "Great!"

So, he and the girl he had a crush on had agreed to go to watch a movie on Saturday. Which actually sounded a lot like a…

Wait.

Wait, wait, _wait_!

Was it actually a—

"Is this a date?" he asked Videl, looking confused, nervous yet hopeful. Videl couldn't help the smile that stretched on her face when seeing the expression on his face.

He looked adorable.

"It's a date," Videl confirmed, letting a laugh in amusement.

Gohan grinned widely. " _Awesome_!"


	32. The Date!

"Where you goin', Big Brother?!" Goten questioned as he followed his older brother around the house.

"He's going on a date," Chimaki told him, sending a cheeky smirk to her older brother's direction.

"A date?"

"Yup."

"You mean when a guy and a girl go out together and do stuff and do kissy-kissy and all that?"

"Exactly!"

"Ew!" Goten made a disgusted face.

"Not, _ew_! Romantic is the word!" Chimaki grinned. "Oi, Gohan, you think you and Videl are gonna kiss?!"

"Ew, ew, ew!" Goten faked a gagging sound. "Don't do that, Gohan! That's ew!"

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

"You guys are the worst," Gohan murmured in annoyance, rolling his eyes as his cheeks burned red.

"Seriously, though—you gonna kiss her?" Chimaki asked, grinning up at him.

"I don't know! And even if I did, why would I tell _you_?"

She gave him her brightest smile. "'Cause I'm your beautiful little sister!"

"I still wouldn't tell you."

"Oh, come on!" Chimaki whined. "I wanna know what happens!"

"Won't tell you," Gohan insisted.

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Oh, come on—"

"'Maki, leave your poor brother alone," Chi-Chi said in amusement, shaking her head at her children.

"Yeah, you heard Mom! _Leave your poor brother alone_ —hey, wait… _Mom_!" Gohan spun on his heel to look at his mother's smiling face. "Really?"

Goku snickered. "Hey, Gohan, you might as well get going. Or else you'll be teased mercilessly by your awesome family!"

"Yeah, no," Gohan shook his head. "I'm leaving. Don't wanna be late anyway. See you!"

Gohan flew out the door, only to come back a few seconds later as he'd forgotten his jacket and wallet. He didn't bother to stop and say something to his grinning family, knowing they'd tease him even more. Instead, he got his stuff and flew out the door again, thanking his dad silently for saving him from his siblings. He tried to ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, once again wondering where the fearless warrior he knew he could be had gone.

When he arrived to Satan City, he realized he was an hour early. Videl probably wouldn't even be ready yet. _'You're such a genius, Gohan,'_ he cursed himself quietly, feeling awkward and even more nervous. _'So, what can I do to kill time?'_

Since there was absolutely _no way_ he was going back home—because he knew his siblings would tease him _even more_ , and maybe even his parents would join—he decided he'd kill time flying around. After doing ten laps around the Earth—with no intention of going as fast as he could, since he was supposed to _kill time_ —he looked at his watch and realized he had 15 minutes left. He decided he could go look for Videl, figuring she wouldn't kill him if he arrived just 15 minutes early.

Right?

* * *

"Okay. Come on, Videl. No need to freak out. It's just a date. _Just—a—date._ Nothing to be freaking out over. Even though it's your first date ever, but—no! Don't think that way. It'll be fine. It's Gohan. Just act normal. You go to see _Deadpool_ , maybe grab something to eat after, and that's it. Nothing more than that. It's not something of other world. You'll be fine…"

And that was what Videl kept telling herself as she got ready for her date. She was very nervous, and she was trying to calm herself down. It was her first date _ever_ , and she was terrified of screwing it up. She hadn't realized how terrifying having a date with Gohan would be until the day came.

Stupid damn nerves!

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "It's okay. You'll be fine. You'll be fine…"

A servant suddenly knocking on her door made her jump. "Uh, yeah—what is it?" she called.

"Mr. Gohan has arrived!"

She might've died right there.

" _Shit!_ " Spinning on her heel, she ran to get her bag. She usually didn't wear one, but it was a date, damn it! Wasn't she supposed to look nice? _'He got here 15 minutes early!'_ she thought, panicking, as she glanced at the clock. _'Damn him—couldn't he arrive on time?!'_ Her nerves had just multiplied and she was trying hard not to lose her cool. "Tell him I'm coming!"

Videl ran down the stairs. Her father was in some business trip to some town, so he wasn't around for this weekend. It was a good since, since she hadn't needed to tell him about their date. Her relationship with her dad was strained. They were on talking terms, but there was still tension between them and anger on Videl's part. Hercule hadn't pushed her, which she was thankful for, but she knew they'd have to face the music eventually.

She wasn't looking forward to telling her father she knew of his lies.

When Videl got outside, she saw Gohan standing there. They were both dressed casually—with jeans and a shirt and some shoes. Still, Videl had made an effort to look nice—she even used a little bit of make-up!—and she could tell Gohan did too.

"Hey!" she greeted, walking to where Gohan was standing.

"Hey!" he replied back, smiling. "Sorry about showing up earlier than what we agreed. I just got here a little bit early and figured I could come here…" He left the flying around the world killing time part out conveniently.

"That's okay," she assured him. "This way we can go buy the tickets earlier." She left the freaking out when he arrived part out conveniently as well.

"Yeah," Gohan laughed. "I've heard a lot of people go to see _Deadpool_."

"Of course they do," Videl grinned. "It's supposedly an awesome movie. Come on; let's go before the line gets too long."

"Sounds good," Gohan agreed, and the two of them walked side by side towards the cinema. They were both feeling extremely nervous before the date, but now that they were together, talking and joking as they walked, their nerves began to slowly disappear. It just felt kind of natural for them to be hanging around together.

* * *

"They guys in front of us are talking about _Deadpool_ ," Gohan commented lowly as he chuckled. They were standing in the line to get the tickets, and even though they got an hour early to get the tickets with time, the line was still pretty long.

"So are the guys behind us," Videl whispered to him with a smile. "It looks like everyone came to watch _Deadpool_."

"Yeah," he laughed.

They seemed to be right because when it was their turn and they were told to choose their seats, they noticed most of the place was already sold. They still managed to get two seats in a pretty good location, so they didn't mind. Gohan had paid, despite Videl's insistence that she could pay herself.

"And now to get the popcorn," Gohan grinned. "Which is another huge line!"

Videl looked over and let out a groan as she saw the amount of people getting food and drinks for the movie. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we came here early."

"Yep."

"So," Videl smirked as she looked up at Gohan, "how much popcorn should we get?"

"The biggest one," Gohan replied, smiling shyly. "You know I eat a lot…"

"Figured," Videl laughed. "Oh, by the way, I'm paying the popcorn."

"What? No! I can pay it myself."

"No," Videl shook her head. " _I'm_ paying."

"No, seriously, I can—"

"You can pay for dinner if we're hungry after the movie—and knowing you, you will be—but _I'm_ paying the popcorn."

"Fine," Gohan sighed, knowing he couldn't argue with her.

They got the popcorn and drinks and Videl grinned as she looked at her watch. "Well, what do ya know. Movie's about to start. We're good to go."

Gohan smiled. "Awesome! So how awesome you think _Deadpool_ will be?"

"Pretty awesome, that's what I think," Videl grinned back.

* * *

"It was so awesome!" Gohan hollered as they walked out of the cinema.

"Definitely!" Videl agreed. "Best movie ever!"

"It's definitely on my favorite movie list," Gohan grinned. He'd really enjoyed the movie; even though it wasn't his usual humor, he still laughed practically the whole movie. It felt a little awkward for him to watch the sex scenes with Videl—'cause, you know, she's _Videl_ and he has a crush and… _yeah._ (He might be naïve and ignorant when it comes to girls, but he's still a guy, okay?)—but they were still funny. And he loved action movies. So, yeah, definitely and movie he enjoyed—a lot. "So, what do we do know?"

"We said we were gonna go get some food, didn't we?" Videl was having too much fun. She didn't want this date to end. She couldn't believe she'd been so nervous before!

Gohan grinned. He was also having a lot of fun being around Videl and didn't want this date to end. He was glad she also seemed to be having fun with him—it meant he was doing something right. "Yeah, so let's do that."

* * *

"You know, I'd love to know where all that food goes," Videl commented as she watched Gohan eat.

They'd gone to a Japanese restaurant to eat some sushi. Videl was full with a couple of pieces, but Gohan was eating pretty much _ten_ times what she'd eaten and he _wasn't full yet._

Gohan looked up from his food and blushed. "Yeah, and so does half the restaurant," he said, glancing at the people that were pretty much gaping at him at trying not to be so obvious about it. They were failing, of course. Gohan gave them a sheepish smile and focused his attention back to Videl. He might've been extremely embarrassed about how much he ate if he hadn't faced this situation all his life. He hated being the spot light, but he was pretty much immune being it when it came to food. "It goes to my stomach, I guess."

"And just how big your stomach is? How can you be so fit even after eating so much?" Videl paused. "It's a Saiyan thing, right?"

"Yeah." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. "Fast metabolism."

" _Extremely fast_ metabolism," Videl corrected with a laugh. She continued watching as Gohan ate, and noticed that after he finished the last tray of sushi, he didn't ask for more. "What's up? You finally full, black hole?" she asked teasingly.

"Uh, no," he admitted. "But, uh, I don't think I should eat more—since you're paying and all. I feel bad for making you pay for all this…"

Videl rolled her blue eyes. "That's sweet, but don't be. I don't wanna sound like a snob or anything, but I'm rich, remember? I can pay for this." She sent him a smile to reassure him.

"Yeah, I know, but—"

Although she was flattered that he cared, she didn't want him to starve and she really didn't mind paying for his food. _'Besides, Dad's money should've been his if we're being honest here. This is like the least I can do.'_ "But nothing, Gohan. You can ask for more food if you want to."

"But—"

"Waiter!" she called, interrupting him. As soon as the young man that had been attending them showed up, she asked him for more food. The man glanced at Gohan for a moment before nodding and hurrying off to bring the food. "There," she said, smirking at Gohan. "Wasn't so hard, now was it?"

_'This girl has to be the most stubborn girl ever.'_ And Gohan was grinning, because he liked that about her. He _really_ did. Her determination was admirable. "I guess. Thanks for paying, Videl."

Videl shrugged. "Least I could do."

"But, we're on a date, and I'm supposed to be paying…"

"That's a bunch of bull," she said. "I don't care about money, or who pays. All that matters is that we're here together, right?" Oh, God, she actually said that. Videl could feel her cheeks reddening. _'I cannot be cheesier than this…'_

Gohan felt his cheeks reddening as well. "Right." He shoved a sushi in his mouth, a silence falling between them. "So, um… do you like _Fast & Furious_?"

Videl smiled. "I do! Do you?"

"I do, too," Gohan responded with a smile. They continued with their conversation, and Gohan was glad they'd put the little awkward moment behind them. He didn't know, but Videl was glad, too.

* * *

"Well, I had a lot of fun," Videl told Gohan as they walked to her house.

"Me, too," he responded, grinning widely. "So, um… we're doing this again sometime?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound too eager.

"We're _definitely_ doing this again," Videl agreed, nodding her head. She bit her lip. "Uh, that is… if you want to."

Gohan smiled. "It's why I asked in the first place."

Videl smiled back. "Good!"

They walked quietly, a comfortable silence falling between them. It wasn't an awkward silence this time; something they were both glad for. Neither of them wanted the date to end, but everything had to end at some point, right? A lot sooner than what they would've liked, they were reaching her front steps. And Gohan suddenly felt like he was in a movie.

Those typical movies in which some guy—usually the protagonist—had a date with that girl he _really_ liked and walked her over to her place. They'd stand on the porch, making small talk, and the guy would gather his guts and kiss the girl. The date was always perfect after that kiss.

And actually… in this case, that'd be pretty perfect, too. Or damn close to it.

But, Gohan had never kissed somebody—yes; sixteen, almost seventeen years old and he'd never kissed a girl (his 'experiment' with Lime back when they were twelve notwithstanding)—and he was damn nervous. It wasn't that he _wasn't_ interested in girls, because he was. And he had urges like every single guy his age did. It's just that he never really met any girls his age, other than Lime, but she was pretty much a sister at this point.

So, he'd never dated someone for real. And he'd never kissed someone for real. And he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. He wanted to, he did, but he was afraid he'd screw up or that Videl wouldn't want to either or whatever. He licked his lips, feeling sympathy for the protagonists of those movies—he now knew how they felt.

Videl was in a similar situation. She also felt like she was in a movie. And she was thinking about the same kind of movies Gohan was thinking about. In those movies, the girls would stand there until the guy would man up and kiss them. She looked at Gohan, wondering if he'd go for it and kiss her. Because she wanted him to. She really did.

She hadn't kissed any boy in her life—ever—and up to now she hadn't really cared. She hadn't seen the point of kissing random boys and actually _counting_ them like some _skanks_ at her school did. And she hadn't let any boy kiss her or ask her out on a date. Hadn't really been interested. But, then, Gohan happened, and she was for the first time, interested in a guy. Interested for real in a guy.

Because Videl still liked boys, and she'd admit when boys were cute. She wasn't such a boy lover as Erasa, definitely not as much as Angela, but she could still check out a handsome boy if she saw one. But, Gohan wasn't just handsome. He was sweet, funny, kinda weird but in a good way. And he was different, but a good different. And Videl was starting to see that, despite the fact he was different, he and her were more similar than either of them ever would've thought.

Gohan really hated the _Fearless Warrior He Knew He Could Be_ right about now, because the _Fearless Warrior He Knew He Could Be_ had once again walked out on him in times of need and Gohan was not happy about it. This was his chance to kiss Videl—might actually be his only chance to kiss Videl, because who knows what's gonna happen in the future?—and his nerves were blowing it.

No.

He wasn't gonna let his nerves ruin this for him. Not this time. And so what if the _Fearless Warrior He Knew He Could Be_ didn't show up this time? If he didn't show up on his own, then Gohan would just have to _make_ him show up, just like he had done many times before during a battle. He wasn't gonna let this moment go to waste. He was taking his chance, not thinking about the future, keeping what-ifs out of his mind. All that mattered was the present.

_Carpe Diem_ , right?

Without thinking it—afraid that if he actually _did_ , he'd chicken out—he leaned down and kissed Videl. It might've been a shaky, sloppy, nervous, totally inexperienced kiss between two totally inexperienced people—but it was their kiss, their _first_ kiss, and that was enough to make it perfect for both of them.

When they pulled apart, they were both blushing red, not knowing exactly what to say or what to do.

"So, um…" Videl swallowed, feeling nervous, and yet brave enough to start conversation again. "We're still training tomorrow, right?"

Gohan seemed to finally snap out of whatever trance he'd been in. "What?"

Videl bit the smirk that was threatening to take over her lips. "Training, tomorrow—for the tournament, remember?"

"Oh, yeah—right," he blushed, feeling embarrassed. "So, uh, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Videl repeated, and she was taken completely by surprise when Gohan pressed his lips against hers again.

"Night," he told her after he'd pulled back, his cheeks burning red.

"Night," she replied, blushing as well and feeling a bit dazed. She waved at Gohan and entered her house, greeting the servants as if nothing had happened and walked into her room.

It was after she closed the door of her room that she let the girlish squeal she'd ever let out in her entire life as she launched herself into the bed to hug her pillow tightly. There were no words to explain how tingly and happy she felt at that moment. Who knew her first kiss would make her feel that way? But, then again, her first kiss had been with Gohan, a guy she'd been crushing over for a while now.

She let out another squeal as she hugged the pillow even tighter. She just couldn't stop grinning as she reached over to get the phone and call her best friend. She was sure Erasa was practically waiting for Videl to call and tell her how the date went. Sure enough, Erasa picked up by the first ring. And Videl couldn't stop smiling. "Erasa! The date went amazing!"

* * *

Gohan couldn't wipe off the smile off his face as he flew back home. Best day ever, hands down. He finally did it. He finally went on a date with Videl Satan, and not only that, but he'd kissed her. He'd managed to have the balls to kiss her, and at that moment, he couldn't be happier about his decision. He wasn't completely sure whether he and Videl were dating or not, but there was definitely something going on, and he couldn't be happier.

Life is good.


	33. Before the Tournament

Sunday came by quickly and Videl had woken up with a smile on her face. She'd come to train at Gohan's place and so far, it had been great. Besides, it was hilarious watching his family tease him when she was around. Kind of embarrassing, yeah, but funny, too. Luckily for Gohan, they didn't spend much time with his parents and siblings and instead went to train. She'd been improving greatly with her flying technique and she was excited about it, too. That meant she could put on a show at the tournament. Okay, so maybe she wouldn't win, but at least she'd show off a bit.

It had to be around noon when someone Videl wasn't excited to see had to show her face around. Lime had showed up in the middle of their training, all smiles, and she'd hugged Gohan much to Videl's _great_ annoyance. She'd then greeted Videl with a grin and a strange twinkle in her eyes.

Videl wasn't sure what to make of that.

"So, Gohan finally manned up to take you on a date!" she announced rather loudly, and Videl found herself raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Lime!" Gohan whined, embarrassed that Lime would just go and talk to Videl about that.

"Shut it, Gohan! Took you long enough! I mean, come on, I've been waiting for you to take her on a date for, like, months! And you _just_ did it!" She let out a laugh as she looked at Videl. "Even though you were the one who proposed the date, weren't you? That was smart. I'm tell you, you would've to wait like at least five more months for Gohan to gather the courage to ask you on a date himself if you hadn't done so yourself."

"Shut it," Gohan said through gritted teeth, his face burning red.

Videl found herself blinking. She wasn't sure what she was expecting of Lime, but this just _wasn't it_. The first time she met the girl, she'd felt jealous. Now that she and Gohan had gone on a date, she didn't feel as jealous—actually, she felt superb. Because Gohan had chosen her to go on a date with and not Lime. Hah!

But, now that she saw Lime, she could tell the girl didn't feel jealous, or bothered, about Gohan and her going on a date. In fact, she seemed _happy_ about it. And that kind of made Videl like Lime a lot more than she had when they first met. _'But, what do I have this feeling they're still hiding something? Why would they? Why would Gohan? Maybe I'm too paranoid…'_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lime rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out to Gohan. "Hey, Han-Boy, why don't you go get us some drink or s'methin'?"

" _Han-Boy_?" Gohan was dumbfounded. "When the hell did you come up with that?"

"Just now." Lime waved Gohan away. "Now, go, go. Get going. Go get some drinks!"

Gohan was naïve, yes, but he knew Lime enough to know what she was trying to do. She was trying to talk to Videl alone. He really would like if Videl and Lime were friends, but he didn't know if it was such a good idea to leave Videl alone with Lime after he and Videl went on their first date. After all, Lime would probably make a big deal out of it.

Actually, she was already making a big deal out of it—showing up and all—but he didn't know what she'd do when talking to Videl. He figured Lime would want to see if she was good enough for him, or whatever. It was the reason she'd showed up that other time—to meet Videl and see what kind of girl she was. And he really wasn't too sure about it all.

But, he was aware that if he didn't get going, Lime would make him go herself. And he didn't really want that, so he just sighed, nodded, and went to get some drinks. Hopefully, Videl and Lime would be friends after all. _'Here's to fingers crossed!'_

When Gohan left, Lime turned to look at Videl with a smile. "So, you had fun on your date?"

Videl eyed Lime warily. "Yeah… it was fun."

Lime grinned. "I bet! I mean, _Deadpool_ was probably amazing," she chuckled.

"It was," Videl agreed, still wary. She didn't know what Lime would want with her, but she didn't think it would be a good thing. She was ready to be defensive if she had to.

And Lime noticed this. "Come on, girl. Relax. I'm not gonna judge or anything. Calm down. Gohan is my best friend, and he likes you—like, really likes you—so I'm not gonna get between that."

"So, you're not after him?" Videl found herself asking before she could stop herself and then cursed at how obvious and rude that must've sounded.

"Me? After Gohan…?" Lime stayed quiet for a few seconds before laughing. "What?! No! No, of course not!" she snickered. "He's my friend—like a brother at this point. No way I'm after him." She continued laughing, because she had just been proven right. Videl had been jealous the first time they met.

"Oh." Embarrassment quickly came over her and she blushed. "Shit. Sorry. It's just… I just assumed and—"

"Oh, that's okay," Lime waved her apology off. "I'm glad you did, actually. It shows you do genuinely care for him."

Videl shrugged. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Is he your first boyfriend?"

Videl blinked and blushed a little. "Um, I don't know if he's my boyfriend…"

Lime snorted. "If he's not now then he'll be eventually. Guaranteed."

"But, he's the first guy I've dated, yeah," Videl finished. _'And the first guy I've ever kissed, too, but she doesn't have to know that.'_

"Aw, that's so cute!" Lime gushed. "Lemme tell you a secret—you're his first girlfriend, too." She paused. "Unless you count our experiment, but that doesn't really count to be honest."

"Experiment?" Videl chorused, a feeling of uneasiness and paranoia coming over her.

"It was a little experiment back when we were twelve," Lime explained. "A peck on the lips and holding hands were as far as we went. It was literally no more than that. It's basically nothing."

So, Videl had been right when she thought Gohan and Lime had hidden something. Although, to be honest, it was nothing compared to the things that she'd imagined. "And it's over now, right?"

"Of course it is! It barely lasted like a month. We were just kids back then." Lime smiled. "Besides, even if it had been more than that, it still wouldn't mean that much to Gohan considering just how much he likes you."

"You think so?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely," she assured. "I'm okay with that. I'm actually pretty happy he's gone on a date with you. I think you're cool." Lime grinned at her again. "I know we might not have had the best start, but I think we could be friends. What'd'ya say?"

Videl glanced at Lime's stretched hand and then she turned her gaze to where Gohan was coming with the drinks. They might not have had such a long conversation, but Videl found herself liking Lime more. Maybe she just misjudged her because of her jealousy. Now that Videl knew Lime wasn't after Gohan, it was much easier for her to accept Lime's offer of friendship.

"Sure," she agreed, smiling and shaking Lime's hand. "Friends."

* * *

"Come on, guys! You've got to tell him!"

Gohan sweat-dropped and licked his lips nervously. He did understand when the blonde-haired girl was coming from, but he wasn't sure if it would be such a good idea. "I really don't think that's such a good i—"

"Come on! He's our friend, too. He can't be the only one who doesn't know about this."

"It's not like this is the easiest thing to talk about," Videl argued, defending her friend—or boyfriend?—understanding where he was coming from.

"I know, I know. I get it, guys. But, come on—I know, you two know, and he's the only one out of the four of us who doesn't. He's our friend—yeah, he can be a total jerk and all, but he's still out friend—and he's been there for us. He deserves to know. Besides, everyone will find out when the tournament comes, won't they?"

"Uh, well, I'm not that sure…" Gohan hesitated.

Erasa rolled her blue eyes. "What, you're saying you'll hold back? Or that your friends will do that, too?"

Gohan's mind flicked to Vegeta and he sweat-dropped. There was no way in hell the Prince of all Saiyans would hold back in a fight. Especially not if it was against Goku. "Okay, no, we won't…"

"See? It won't matter," Erasa insisted. "It's better if he finds out now that if he finds out later and realizes he was the only one who didn't know."

"I really don't think it's so necessary to tell him," Videl sighed.

Erasa looked pointedly at Videl. "Just because you're off the market and went out on what I believe to be the cutest date ever with one of the cutest guys in the whole school," a comment which made Gohan blush as she said it, "doesn't mean that you can exclude him. He's your friend, too, Videl, and you know it!" Videl looked to the ground, considering what Erasa said. "And, besides," she continued, glancing at Gohan, "as I said, everyone will probably find out at the tournament. It's not like he won't find out."

"And you think he'll take it well?" Gohan asked, feeling persuaded by Erasa. "I mean, he's such a big fan of Mr. Satan…"

"If he didn't make a whole show and wasn't a drama queen when he found out you two were going out on a date, then he probably won't make such a drama out of this either."

Gohan remembered when Sharpner had admitted that Goku had been his idol back when he was a kid. He remembered the look of admiration in his eyes, and figured that maybe he could be honest about that. If Sharpner had been a fan of his dad, then maybe Erasa was right and he'd accept the truth. Okay, yeah, Sharpner was like Number One fan of Mr. Satan, true—but he'd been a fan of Goku once, which meant Sharpner had accepted Ki before Mr. Satan had ruined the world's image of it.

Maybe Gohan could fix that, at least with Sharpner.

He nodded slowly. "Okay, then. I'll tell him."

Videl looked at him. "You sure?"

He looked back with determination shining in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm telling him."

"Telling who what?"

Erasa, Gohan, and Videl turned their heads to look at Sharpner, who'd just showed up in their usual place. He'd been away from most of break because of a sport competition he was in, but he'd finally been free to come back to hang out with his friends until class started again.

"Telling you something very important," Videl said, standing up. "Get your ass up. We're going to the roof." Sharpner began complaining about having just sit down and gotten comfortable, but Videl cut him off. "No buts. This is important. Let's go."

Sharpner, confused and a bit annoyed, grumbled as he stood up. Gohan and Erasa shared looks and began chuckling as they followed Videl and Sharpner. _'Well,'_ Gohan mused. _'At least I won't be alone to explain this.'_

* * *

Sharpner's face as he'd been told the truth about Ki and Gohan had been absolutely hilarious. It wouldn't have been surprising if he'd swallowed like three whole flies with the way his mouth was hanging open. It had taken a lot of time—and a lot of explaining—for all to finally sink in into Sharpner's brain. And when it did, he had a hard time believing it.

"I'm sorry, man, but that just—that doesn't—that doesn't seem real," he let out a disbelieving laugh. "I mean, that's—that's like all taken outta a movie or something."

"It's the truth," Gohan insisted.

"I ain't believin' it until you show me real proof," the blond claimed.

So, Gohan had stood up and turned Super Saiyan right in front of his eyes. And Sharpner's mouth had fallen open once again. After that, however, it was much easier for Sharpner to accept the truth. Even though it went against pretty much everything he'd believed—but he saw it right in front of his eyes, and the kid he'd been once that had admired Goku so much had apparently resurfaced and he found himself believing.

"You know the fucking weird part?" Sharpner asked dumbly. "I actually believe all this bullshit you're telling me." His eyes turned to Gohan and he groaned. "So you're basically Superman now?! Not only you got to date Videl but you got Superman powers now?! _That ain't fair_!"

And as Sharpner continued to rant about how unfair the whole thing was, Gohan was just glad that telling him hadn't been as terrible as he thought it would be.

* * *

"So, are you gonna participate in the tournament?" Videl asked as she watched Chimaki train. She'd come over to train and practice her flying technique like she had done every weekend since Gohan first taught her.

"Yeah," Chimaki replied, throwing a punch before sighed. She dropped next to Videl with a pout. "But, it'll have to be Junior Division, 'cause I'm only twelve." She seemed extremely annoyed by that fact, and Videl could get where she was coming from. When someone was a strong as Chimaki, you wouldn't want to be limited to fight other kids that are definitely weaker than you.

"Well, at least you're guaranteed to win," Videl said, trying to cheer Chimaki up a bit.

"Yeah, but what's the point when you didn't have to work for it? I mean, I wanna join so I can fight."

Videl nodded in understanding. "Well, at least Goten will be there, too, right?"

"Yeah, and Trunks, too. Mom's thinking about calling my uncles and aunts and tell them about the tournament. Maybe my cousins and my friends will come to Earth for the tournament. That would make things far more entertaining."

Videl shrugged. "Then do it. I mean, joining the tournament is for fun, and to prove themselves. Or at least, that's what it's supposed to be…"

"I totally agree with you," Chimaki smiled. "I don't wanna sound mean…"

"But…?"

"But, you're not gonna win."

Videl snorted. "I've known I'm not gonna win for weeks now. I'm just joining to prove myself. So that I can show what I'm made of, even though I won't stand a chance. I wanna have fun, too."

Chimaki grinned. "See, this is why you're awesome!"

Videl laughed. "You're pretty awesome yourself."

"Thanks. Guess we got something in common." Both girls grinned and began giggling, high-fiving each other.

* * *

"I'm not gonna be coming over next weekend," Videl told Gohan as they walked around the woods. They were taking a break from training, and Gohan figured it'd be a nice idea to walk around.

"What? Why not?" Gohan wondered, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

"It's the last weekend until the tournament comes," Videl explained. "I don't wanna hold you back. I know you're on a whole different level. You gotta train."

"I've been training," Gohan argued. "And I'm not gonna go to school next week, so I'll have even more time to train."

"I know," Videl laughed. "So will I. But, you gotta train more if you wanna do good in this tournament. I'm not gonna make you waste any more time."

"You're not wasting my time," Gohan said.

"Well, that's good to know," she giggled, blushing a bit. "But, anyway, I'm serious about this. You need to train at your hardest so you can win this tournament."

"Win?" Gohan raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "I'm not gonna win." He shook his head. "There's no way. Not with my dad and Vegeta there," he laughed, knowing just how serious his dad and Vegeta could get when it came to fighting.

"I think you'd be able to," Videl shrugged.

"Hey… Videl?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know, that, uh… I've talked to my family and my friends and… they won't hold back."

There was silence for a moment until Videl nodded. "I know."

"Videl, you know what this means, right?"

"It means Erasa is right," she said lowly. "The world will find out the truth when the tournament comes. I know."

"But your dad…"

"Deserves it," she cut him off. "He never had the right to steal the credit from you _and_ make fun of you. You guys deserve to do this, even if it means people finding out about the truth."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I am," Videl rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Gohan—what's with the questions?"

"I'm just worried. I know this will affect you a lot. I don't wanna hurt you."

Despite of what they were talking about, Videl felt a small smile forming in her face. "You're not gonna hurt me. It's okay, Gohan, really. I'll be fine."

"Have you talked to your dad about… about it all?"

Videl exhaled sharply. "No," she said. "But," she shrugged, "it's about time I do. The tournament is a good time as any. He won't be able to deny anything then and by that time, I think I'll be calm enough to face him and talk about it." She looked at her feet. "I've been avoiding the whole issue, and I have to face it. He has to face it, too."

"I don't particularly like your dad, but I don't want to destroy him."

"I don't want him to be destroyed either. I'm mad at what he did, but… he's still my dad."

"I know we won't hold back, but there's a chance that his image won't be destroyed. We just gotta be careful—"

"Gohan," Videl interrupted him. "There is nothing for you to worry about. Whatever happens, happens. I'll deal with it, and so will my dad. He can be tough when he wants to be, you know." She let out a small laugh. "Don't worry about it. It's not your problem. You just gotta go there, fight, and do your best."

"But—"

"But, _nothing_. It'll be fine." She smiled up at him. "I promise it'll be fine." And then she gathered up the courage to lean up on her tip toes and kiss him. They hadn't really kissed after their first date, at least not _this_ way, and Videl was kicking herself mentally for not doing so sooner.

Because, even though it sounded extremely cheesy, when she was in Gohan's arms, she felt as she had no problems at all and as she could face everything.

* * *

Videl took a deep breath. The days had passed quickly and the tournament was tomorrow. She'd trained. She'd tried to prepare herself mentally for what she knew would inevitably come. And for the most part, she'd managed to. But, she still felt nervous—she didn't know how things would turn out tomorrow, but hopefully, it would be for the best.

Her phone buzzed and she got it to find a text from Gohan.

_It's gonna be fine!_

And when it came from him, she believed it.


	34. Tournament Time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally caught up to where we're at over at FF!

The tournament wasn't the same anymore.

Years ago, it was all about watching the fight, admiring and studying each fighter's technique and strategies. Sure, there were stands of food and games for kids, but it wasn't massive. And while it did receive some media attention, it wasn't such a big focus. Few channels and some radio shows talked about the World Martial Arts Tournament in detail, while most just mentioned it, like they did with any other sport tournament.

Now, however, it seemed to be more of a carnival than a martial arts tournament. People seemed to be more interested in gossip of the fighters instead of their fighting styles and abilities. And the media seemed to be much more interested in the tournament than it used to be before, but similar to the people, it seemed to be more for the stories they could get than the actual fights.

It was kind of disappointing for Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Roshi, and even Piccolo and Chi-Chi, who'd actually fought in the tournament back when it was actually focused in fighting. Bulma, Launch, Oolong and Puar hadn't actually fought, but they'd been there and they could clearly notice the difference. As for the others, they weren't exactly impressed with how different the tournament seemed to be from the stories they had been told.

Then again, the actual tournament hadn't yet begun, so they couldn't judge until then. They'd give the people a show, though, that was for sure.

* * *

The Z-Fighters had agreed on a place in Papaya Island so they could meet up. Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Eighteen, Seventeen, and Piccolo had decided to participate. After all, they were going to fight for fun. Chimaki, Goten, Trunks, and even Rose (who was aware she couldn't compete against her Saiyan friends, but hopefully would get to fight a kid or two and win before she was defeated by her friends) were going to fight, too, but in the Junior Division (which they honestly considered stupid, considering Goku and Krillin had just been twelve and thirteen when they first participated and they still managed to pass the preliminaries and fight in the actual tournament, and that the kids were much stronger than what Goku and Krillin had been back then).

So to make it more fun for the kids, Goku had an idea. He called his siblings in Planet Vegeta and asked them to come, bringing their kids along with them. Raditz, Kyuri, Mato and Tanip agreed immediately, and Daikon, Kytsu and Pia were excited to participate in a tournament alongside their cousins and friend. But, they weren't the only ones Goku called. He called his two childhood best friends, Resu and Celga.

Resu and Celga were Kakarot's closest friends when he lived on Planet Vegeta. They trained together and were really close. They probably would've been part of the same squad together if Frieza hadn't betrayed the Saiyans and Goku hadn't been sent to Earth. Even after Goku had left the planet, they'd still grown up together, and they'd ended up falling in love and having two kids—the twins Cella and Cumber.

They helped fight Frieza's forces when they were fighting Frieza on Namek, and Goku saw them again for the first time after they'd won the battle and Planet Vegeta's surface was restored. And while Goku felt closer to Krillin and Bulma than he did to Resu and Celga, they still were good friends . In fact, Resu and Celga helped them fight the androids and Cell seven years ago. Also, Chimaki was close to the twins, despite the fact that she was almost three years younger than them. So, he'd called them up and invited them to participate along the kids, and they agreed.

And not only were their kids participating in the tournament. After all, Saiyans loved fighting. So, Resu, Raditz, Mato and Tanip decided to fight in the tournament as well, while Kyuri and Celga decided to just sit back and watch the fights. After all, someone would need to keep their kids in line after the Junior Division ended.

* * *

When Mr. Satan arrived, there was a huge crowd waiting for him, and when he came out of the helicopter, they let out a loud cheer of admiration. Cameras started flashing and reporters immediately began asking questions. Hercule loved every single moment of it—fame could really change people—and he laughed, filling in the role of proud champion.

Videl wasn't amused. She sighed, shaking her head at her father's glory. She knew that it might be the very last time her father was as worshipped as he was right now. She did love her father, and she didn't want him to suffer—no matter how mad she was—but she knew it wasn't him people should be cheering on. _'Everything will change today…'_

She kind of had mixed feelings about all this, but she knew deep in her heart that it was the right thing to do.

"Mr. Satan!" a female reporter called. "Do you think you'll have any competition in this Tournament?"

"HA!" Hercule laughed. "I'll say, my chances of winning are 120 percent!" he exclaimed, roaring with laughter.

Videl just sighed and shook her head. _'If you only knew, Dad…'_ Some months ago, she wouldn't have believed that her father could ever be defeated. She knew better now, though. She just hoped her father wouldn't be destroyed by the time the truth came out.

"I've heard your daughter is going to participate, too," a male reported pointed out. He turned to her with a smile. "Videl, what would you do if you have to fight your dad?"

"Oh, I don't know. Guess I'll punch," she replied sarcastically.

Hercule roared with laughter. He loved his baby girl, and he knew she was a great fighter, but he didn't think she would win. "Don't be silly, Videl!"

Videl just sighed in annoyance. _'I hope Gohan and the others arrived already.'_

* * *

"Come on, Sharpner! Hurry _up_!" Erasa called with a laugh as she ran.

"Erasa, slow _down_! Jesus." Sharpner shook his head as he followed Erasa. "They're not gonna disappear."

"No, but they'll go to a fighter only zone and I wanna see them before they get in there!" Erasa explained.

"Do you even _know_ where they're at?!" he questioned.

"No."

"Then how d'you expect to find them with this many people around?!"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe _looking_ for them," Erasa rolled her eyes, clearly not seeing the issue in finding their two friends when they were surrounded by hundreds of people. "I'm sure they're around here somewh—" She cut herself off as her eye caught something and she suddenly stopped running. "See, there's Videl!" She turned around and punched Sharpner's arm, laughing. "I told you we'd find her!" She ran off towards her friend. "Videl! Hey, Videl!"

"Okay, that was just good luck," Sharpner muttered to himself, dumbfounded that Erasa had _actually_ managed to spot Videl in the middle of the crowd. _'It's like she has a radar for Videl. She's always been able to find her.'_ He shook his head and ran after her. "Erasa, _wait up_!"

Videl had managed to get away from her father and the press surrounding him and went to look for Gohan. It was while she was looking when she heard her best friend's voice calling for her. She turned around to see Erasa running towards her, Sharpner following. "Erasa, hey!"

"Hi!" Erasa replied cheerfully, hugging Videl tightly before letting go.

"Hey, Sharpner," Videl greeted, smiling at the blond.

"Hey, Videl. Aw, no hug for me?" he teased. Videl rolled her eyes, but gave him a quick hug anyway. "Thanks. Nice to see you haven't forgotten about me now that you're dating Gohan. Lucky bastard."

Videl blushed a little, but her eyes didn't lose their fierceness. "Shut it, Sharpner," she snapped, although they all knew she wasn't being serious.

Sharpner smiled. He'd always had a crush on Videl—still kind of did, to be honest—but he'd accepted she and Gohan had their own thing. Still, he wasn't gonna lie about what he thought of Videl. "You know it's true."

Erasa laughed. "Yeah, well." She looked around, trying to find the teenager in question. "Where _is_ Gohan, anyway?"

Videl shrugged. "I don't know. I was looking for him just now."

"Oh, well, we'll just have to find him then," Erasa replied cheerfully. Sharpner rolled his eyes at her statement.

"Because it's so easy to find people in the middle of crowds," he muttered to Videl, who smirked. "I guess it's gonna be easier for you now that you have Erasa helping you. I swear she's like a radar."

Videl chuckled. "Yeah, that fits her, alright."

Erasa didn't pay no mind to her two friends. "Come on, guys. We got someone to find!"

"We're not gonna find him," Sharpner muttered to himself.

* * *

"How the fuck did we find him?" Sharpner wondered aloud as he and Videl followed Erasa. They'd been walking and then, suddenly, Erasa seemed to spot something in the distance—as in the _other_ side of the place and she'd took off running after claiming she'd found Gohan. The funny part was, Gohan was _actually_ there, in that group Erasa spotted. _'I'm seriously starting to wonder if Erasa has special, powerful eyesight or something.'_

"Erasa being Erasa," Videl laughed. "You said it yourself; she's like radar. Besides, it's like this huge group of people and a lot of people have monkey tails over there, so even if we didn't recognize them, that gives it away."

"Yeah, that's true. 'Cause tails are a thing for, uh…" Sharpner turned to look at Videl. "Saiya People?"

Videl almost chocked. "Saiyans. Not Saiya People."

" _Well_ , at least I got the _Saiya_ part right. Where—where the hell did I get the 'People', though?"

"You're asking me?!"

"Come on, guys! Hurry up!" Erasa laughed, looking back at them and narrowly missing getting hit by a pole. Videl and Sharpner damn near winced at that. "Hey, _Gohan_!"

Gohan stopped paying attention to the story Krillin was telling when he heard his name. He stopped walking and turned around to see Erasa arriving, with Sharpner and Videl right behind her. "Oh, hey guys!"

"Hey, dude," Sharpner smirked and Gohan waved at him.

"Hey, Gohan," Videl smiled at him, and he smiled back. "Hi, guys!" She waved at Gohan's family and friends and they greeted her as well. The Son family were already familiar with her face and apparently, the others were, too.

The Saiyan teenager turned to his family. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up later, okay?" They nodded, and they continued walking leaving Gohan with their friends. "How did you guys _find_ me in this crowd? I didn't think I would see you guys before the tournament started."

"Yeah, neither did I, to be honest," Sharpner admitted.

"Yeah, well, Erasa is amazing looking for people," Videl laughed. "I don't know how she does it."

Erasa shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good at that," she grinned. Then she remembered something she'd found a few days ago. "Oh! Gohan, I gotta show you something!"

Gohan blinked. "What is it?"

"The cutest thing ever," Erasa chuckled as she searched for a picture in her phone. "Here it is!"

Gohan looked at the picture Erasa was showing and his eyes bucked. "Where the hell did you find that?"

The picture Erasa was showing was a paparazzi shot of long ago. Goku was walking on a street, dressed casually, looking over a two-or-three-year-old Gohan who was seemingly chasing a squirrel.

"Your dad used to be a celebrity back in the day, you know," Erasa grinned. "He was quite the teen heartthrob."

"I don't think my dad ever cared about that," Gohan mumbled as he looked at the old picture. He'd never seen it in his entire life. It was kinda creepy that he was photographed out of nowhere, but that was the life of celebrities. One of the many reasons the Z-Fighters decided to walk away from the spotlight.

"Your dad hasn't aged a damn bit. Shit, he's like Will Smith or something," Sharpner commented.

"You were adorable," Videl said, not being able to help herself. She blushed a bit after saying that, and looking up at him for a moment, she could tell her comment made him blush a little, too.

"Yeah, he was," Erasa agreed with a grin. "You should see the baby pictures."

Gohan paled. "Baby pictures?"

"Yeah. I know you guys asked to be left alone shortly after you were born and all, but some few paparazzi still went and got some shots of you guys. This was like the one picture I could find of you a bit older. In most photos, you're just a baby." She taped another picture she had in her camera roll. "See?"

"Oh, my god," Gohan muttered. The picture was one of Goku sitting on a couch, grinning at the camera, as he held a newborn Gohan in his arms. That picture definitely wasn't taken by paparazzi, so someone either managed to leak it into the internet or someone of the group published it in the first place.

Sharpner was chuckling. "Aw, look at you," he teased. "What a _cutie_!"

Videl looked at the picture and smiled. _'He really was so cute…'_

"Please tell me you don't have more pictures of me," Gohan muttered in embarrassment.

"Nah," the blond giggled. "I found an old one of your dad and his friends, though." She showed a picture of Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi standing in front of the World Martial Arts Tournament, grinning at the camera. "It's amazing how famous they used to be when they participated in these tournaments. And now that they're back…"

A sudden silence fell on the group. It was a reminder on how everything was gonna change today. And they had no idea how the world would take it. Hell, how _they_ would take it. Gohan was pretty sure his family and friends would continue living their lives, and if reporters followed them, _well_ , whatever. Let them do what they want. It's not like public opinion of them affected them that much. They'd been famous back in the day, anyway, and they'd lived with the reputation of _tricksters_ for a while now.

Videl, though, wasn't so sure. She wasn't too worried about herself, but she was worried about her father. Her father was big on public opinions and fan bases, and she didn't know how he would deal if he lost them, or if they turned against him. Honestly, this would either make him or break him. Videl was hoping for the former, but she couldn't be completely sure. Her dad was tough when he needed to be, though. He'd pull through either way.

"I guess we'll see what happens," Videl said, breaking the silence.

Gohan looked at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She smiled to reassure him and their friends. "Just dandy."

* * *

They chatted with Erasa and Sharpner until an announcement was heard, telling the fighters that preliminaries were starting soon. Gohan and Videl said goodbye to their friends and went to catch up with the others, who had a little _adventure_ of their own. Apparently, they'd had a run in with a reporter, who was asking simple questions—like where do you come from, where did you train—but to them, those simple questions had the most complicated answers. So they'd had to smooth talk their way out of it. Thankfully, Yamcha had perfected the art of bullshitting for TV thanks to his baseball career.

"I never thought playing baseball would've helped me with stuff like this," the scarred man laughed.

They'd been honest when it had come to their participation in the other tournaments. The reporter seemed to be amazed that six of them had been finalist, with two out of them being former champions. She'd wanted to ask more questions after that, but Yamcha the smooth-talker managed to get them out of the situation.

"So, now people know we're here," Goku mused as they walked.

Krillin snorted. "Yeah, it's better if they know what's comin' for them. I'm betting that they'll underestimate us, and I can't _wait_ to see their faces when we all kick their asses." He grinned evilly.

"You do have a lot of hatred in you, don't you," Gohan joked.

"Oh, you have _no_ idea."

When they arrived to the preliminaries' ground, they were surprised to see the amount of people that was competing. There seemed to be much more people than in the past tournaments. People apparently weren't worried of fighting people stronger than them anymore, everyone dreaming of being the Strongest Under the Heavens.

"Well, I guess when the supposed strongest is _Mister Satan_ , they don't really have much to worry about," Seventeen commented, and they all found themselves agreeing. Videl glanced at Seventeen's direction with her mouth formed into a thin line, but she didn't comment, knowing that he was right. Her father was weak compared to the group of people she was hanging out with.

"Hey… is that—" The World Tournament Announcer had a huge grin in his face, recognizing the people he'd feared he would never see again. He remembered the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd tournaments like if they had been yesterday, and he couldn't help but feel excited knowing that the true fighters were back to get their place back. "It's you!"

They all turned to see the blond man making his way towards them. The six who had participated in the tournament before recognized him immediately. The man hadn't really changed a bit. He still wore those sunglasses and had that bright smile and charisma that poured from him. The man had been born to be an announcer, and he'd stayed for the sake of the tournament finals years ago even when everyone else had run away.

"You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you here!" the announcer exclaimed once they'd greeted each other and he'd been quickly introduced to everyone else. "I mean, seriously, how long has it been? I admit I kinda missed you all. Was kinda hard not to when I always saw your awesome fights every three years," he joked. "I was actually pretty disappointed when you didn't show up for the 24th tournament. Man, lemme tell you, without you all that tournament was capital B— _boring_!"

"I'm not surprised," Raditz muttered.

"Yeah, I know, right? Man, I can't believe how much you've all grown. Like, seriously, you were just teenagers back then and now—you're all grown-ups! I feel old now." The announcer grinned at them, and then leaned in as if he were about to tell a big secret. "Okay, I want you guys to tell me somethin'. It wasn't Mr. Satan that beat Cell, right? Or Majin Buu for that matter. Come on, I know it was you." The grins in everyone's faces told the announcer all he needed to know. "Hah! I knew it! Mister Satan was able to fool a lot of people, but not me."

"Yeah, my dad did manage to somehow convince everyone he's right," Videl sighed.

"Dad?" The announcer blinked, and then he put two and two and got four. "You're Videl? Wow, now you've grown a lot since I last saw you!" He bit his lip nervously. "Uh, you don't mind, about…"

"Nah," Videl shrugged, knowing that it wasn't completely true. She _did_ mind, but she'd had time to get over it. She still had to confront her father about it instead of avoiding the issue, but she knew she'd do it after the tournament. She wouldn't have much of a choice anyway. "I mean, it sucks that my dad lied, and I'm pissed at him even though I still love him—he's my dad and all—but right now I'm just glad that I know the truth."

The announcer smiled at her. "I'm glad you know the truth."

"I'm impressed that you didn't buy Mr. Satan's crap like everyone else in this planet did," Tanip commented.

"Do you really think I'd believe him after seeing these guys fight? There is no way I would believe Hercule after being witness to so many kick-ass fights. Speaking of kick-ass fights, I'll have you all know that's what I'm expecting from all of you! I know you'll pass the preliminaries with ease. So, I know for sure we'll have great fights this time! Just," he glanced at Piccolo with a grin, "don't blow up the ring this time, will ya? It wasn't cheap to fix all the damage, lemme tell you that."

Piccolo smirked. "We'll try."

"And that's the attitude to have in this tournament! I would love to chat more, but unfortunately, business calls and I've got some work to do." The announcer walked a few steps back, ruffling both Goten's and Trunks' hair. "Remember, I'm expecting a super show! See you in ring time!" He waved and left.

"Dude, I missed that announcer," Yamcha grinned as he waved back.

"Definitely the best announcer for this tournament," Krillin replied with a grin.

That's when they heard the crowd cheer in a loud roar. They all turned their heads to look at Mr. Satan, who had both his hands raised in the air, laughing loudly, as he questioned the crowd who wanted an autograph. Videl sighed in embarrassment at her father, while Krillin joked over the current champion and his fans. All the fighters gathered together as a referee explained the rules of the preliminaries. And the Z-Fighters were shocked to see that, instead of having those old-school mini tournament fights to get the finalists, they had a punching machine.

A fucking punching machine.

And to make things even worse, apparently the former champion had secured a spot on the tournament. Goku and Tien had glanced at each other then, wondering exactly _when_ had this rule been invented. Definitely not during the 24th tournament, because Goku hadn't been there, which meant it was a rule that had been added for _this_ tournament and it probably had something to do with the man holding the Champion's Belt right now.

And since when there was a Champion's Belt anyway?

The referee asked Mr. Satan to punch the machine to be used as a reference, and _of course_ he'd had to use that chance to show off. The man was charismatic; they had to admit that—he definitely knew how to cheer a crowd. When he asked if people wanted photos, the response he got was, naturally, people taking out their cameras and taking photos of the champ. It was annoying to the Z-Fighters, but they lived with it.

After the impromptu photo shoot—that lasted forever if you asked any of the Z-Fighters—Hercule finally hit the machine and got 137 points. People cheered, seemingly amazed at the score he'd gotten, while the Z-Fighters just waited for the show to be over with. After that, Mr. Satan finally left, claiming that he wanted a decent match.

"Oh, you have no fucking idea," Krillin muttered.

The kids had to leave for the Junior Division while the adults had to stay and punch the damn machine. The Z-Fighters knew they would have to hold back, and they waited patiently for their turn. The first who had the turn to punch was Eighteen, who hadn't been able to hold back enough to make it seem as she had normal human's strength. The referee quickly assumed the machine was out of order, and apologized for the inconvenience. Eighteen had to punch again, and while she didn't get 774 like before, she still got 202, which was way more than what the Champ had gotten.

The stunned fighters watched as the Z-Fighters all scored around the two hundreds. They were dumbfounded, not finding the words to say and just being able to gasp in surprise. Soon it was Videl's turn, and she was a bit nervous. She was hanging around a group of people who was _that_ much stronger than her. She knew they were holding back. Should she hold back? Well, it probably wouldn't hurt if she used her full strength just yet. She punched and her score was 170 points, much more than what her father had gotten.

She grinned proudly, giving thumbs up to Gohan, and he grinned back at her.

The last Z-Fighter to punch was Vegeta, and apparently the prince had chosen to be the last on purpose. Because the Prince of all Saiyans did not fucking hold back for punching machines. So, when he punched, he didn't get a high score. Instead, he _destroyed_ the machine, and smirked. The Z-Fighters were annoyed, but not surprised. As for everyone else, they were pretty much _losing their shit._

The referee, who was still obviously shocked, said that they had _technical difficulties_ and asked everyone else to wait for them to get a new machine. Most of the fighters had to wait, but the Z-Fighters had all punched already, so they decided they would go watch the Junior Division. As they walked towards the arena, Goku turned his questioning gaze to Vegeta.

"Was it really necessary to destroy that machine?"

Vegeta smirked. "Well, a nice taste of reality is good for those fools. Let the fuckers wait for the new machine and be aware they are not in our league."

Goku just shook his head in amusement and they all kept walking.


	35. The Junior Division

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOOOK WHO'S BACK! Missed me? XD Yeah, I know, it took me long enough—like, four months? Goddamn, time does fly by—and I'm sorry. I know waiting sucks, but I've been really busy lately. School's kicking my ass right now, and I've had this massive writing block lately. But I've managed to update! :D 
> 
> I apologize if there are any mistakes. It's time for the Junior Division! I hope you all enjoy!

"Why do those freaks have tails?" Idasa muttered to his two sidekicks as he looked at the group of young Z-Fighters that had apparently installed themselves on a corner and owned it.

The Saiyans had decided that it was pointless to hide their tails when Goku had already participated on the tournament before with his tail let loose and nobody really questioned it. And up to now, no-one had really questioned it much. Well, some did shoot them a look because people with monkey tails weren't what they normally saw but they shrugged it off quickly and didn't make a fuss about it. The other kids here didn't seem to care, but Idasa wasn't like them.

"I don't know," one of his sidekicks, the brunette one, shrugged. "They're probably fake."

"What if they're real? It'd be kinda cool to have a tail," the other one, the shortest out of the three, a black-haired kid, said.

"It wouldn't be fuckin' cool," Idasa said. "It'd make you a freak. And they're god damn freaks."

Idasa was fifteen years old, probably the oldest one participating, and he was extremely egocentric. He believed he was the best, and that he was a hotshot. He and his two friends were the popular ones at his school, and his little brother Ikose, who was only one year younger, was following his footsteps as well. Their mother was a very arrogant, obnoxious woman, and they definitely inherited those traits of her personality.

He strongly believed these kids wouldn't stand a chance against him. Actually, he believed he should've been participating with the adults. However, he wasn't sixteen yet, so he couldn't. He thought that was stupid because he considered himself cooler than most sixteen-year-olds he's met. However, being in the Junior Division made it that much easier for him. He'd beat them all and he'll be the one who shakes Mr. Satan's hand, even if it meant defeating his brother. _'Ikose can do that next year when I'm not participating.'_ He smirked. _'I'm gonna win this tournament.'_

"That's true," the shorter boy shrugged.

"Yeah, it is. And you know what we do with freaks, right?"

His brunette friend caught on and smirked. "We're gonna fuck with them. Give 'em a scare."

"Exactly."

Idasa and his two friends walked up to the group of younger kids with a smirk in their faces. No-one of that little group was older than them, so naturally, they were cocky and believed the fact they were older would scare them, especially with their attitude. It scared kids back home, so it should be the same here. That group of kids will be terrified.

"I can't decide what to buy if I win," Trunks was saying as the three humans talked about them.

"Well, I guess when your family is the richest in the world, there aren't many toys that you don't have," Goten said with a smile.

"So, maybe you could buy _us_ toys?" Rose suggested with a grin.

"I already lend you all my toys," Trunks complained. "I'm not gonna use all my money to buy _you_ toys."

"Then what're you gonna buy?" Chimaki asked from where she was sitting with Cella and Cumber.

"I'm thinking!"

"Think quicker!" Daikon said. He wasn't really patient, just like his father.

Cella leaned back against the wall. "Well, if I were you and lived here and won the money, then I would—"

"Hey, freaks!"

They all turned to see Idasa and his two friends walking up to them, trying to give off that vibe of tough macho persona and failing completely. "Yeah, that's right. I'm talkin' 'bout you. What're a bunch of freaks doing here?"

"Oh, I don't know," Cumber said sarcastically as he stood. Idasa was a few months older than him, but that didn't mean Cumber would just stand there and let this human talk shit about them. He liked humans a lot, but there were idiots like Idasa whom Cumber really couldn't stand. "Maybe we're here to fight. What's a diva doing here though?"

"Diva?" Idasa gritted his teeth in anger. "You think _I'm_ a diva? Look at _your_ hair! It looks like you spent hours in a god damn hairdressing salon to get it done!"

"That's right!" Idasa's friends chorused.

"Believe it or not, my brother's hair is natural," Cella said with a smile, but the glint in her eye was anything but friendly.

"Same can't be said about you, though," Chimaki muttered in annoyance.

"Yeah! You look like a princess!" Kytsu exclaimed as she let out a laugh.

"Oh, you think so, little kid?" Idasa asked sarcastically, shifting his gaze to the little four-year-old. "What're _you_ doing here anyway? There's no way a little peanut like you could even fight."

"You'd be surprised," Pia said.

"Oh, _really_?" Idasa turned his glare to the five-year-old standing beside her sister. "Then why don't you show us what you're made of, _pumpkin_?"

Kytsu was _about_ to say yes, and she would've if it hadn't been for her sister speaking up first. "We'll show you in the ring," Pia said, giving off that cute vibe, but her friends and family weren't fooled. Pia could be calm and shy, but she was still a fierce fighter even at her young age.

"It's not like it'll be hard for them to beat a weakling like _you_ ," Cumber said. He was blunt and proud, too reckless and careless to notice when he had to shut up. Maybe this wasn't a life threatening situation, but it wouldn't be a good idea to coax Idasa into a fight. It could get them into trouble, but Cumber didn't care. "I hope you realize you can't win, so you better just leave and go get your hair done, _Princess_."

"You little—" Idasa gritted his teeth.

"What, you wanna fight?" Cumber challenged, and Idasa was about to attack, and he probably would've, if it hadn't been for Chimaki standing up and pushing both boys away from each other.

"Okay, that's enough!" She looked at Cumber. "Cumber, lay off." Cumber looked like he wanted to argue but Chimaki sent him a look and he backed down. "And you!" She pointed at Idasa. "Get the hell out of here. You wanna fight something out? Do it in the ring."

"Just remember you're gonna be beaten," Trunks said with a smirk. "You have better walk away."

Idasa was shaking in anger. "That's it! I'm gonna fight you all in the tournament, and I'm gonna beat you so hard you'll all have a concussion!"

"Sounds fun," Trunks smirked.

Chimaki rolled her eyes. "Just get out," she ordered in irritation.

"This isn't over!" Idasa screamed as he and his friends walked away.

"Why did you stop it? It could've been an awesome fight, man," Daikon complained. He hadn't butted into the conversation simply because he'd wanted the fight to happen so he could watch it and Chimaki ruined it for him.

"We can fight him later in the ring," she said. "Just… whoever fights him, please teach that wannabe tough prick a lesson." They all agreed on that one.

That's when they heard the audience cheer excitedly. "I wonder what they're cheerin' about," Goten mused.

* * *

"Come on, Mr, Satan! Beat him!"

"Yeah, Mr. Satan! You can do it!"

"You're our hero!"

"SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!"

People cheered loudly as they watched the—clearly poorly done if you asked any of the Z-Fighters—reenactment for the Cell Games. The effects used to represent Ki attacks were downright terrible, as if it was trying to represent not only Cell's powers, but _their own_ powers, as nothing but cheap tricks. Considering people always complained when superhero movies had bad editing, it was a wonder how they could actually cheer for a film that had bad acting and bad effects.

The costumes were badly done, the acting was poor (the actor of Cell could not talk without long pauses in between his speech), and it was a complete lie. The world didn't know, but what the movie was showing was nothing like what had happened in real life.

"This movie fucking sucks," Raditz managed to say as they watched it. The movie was so bad, it pretty much stunned all the Z-Fighters. They'd all flinched when seeing themselves in the screen.

"Why does my hair look like a bunch of bananas?" Goku had to ask.

"The acting is terrible, man. I mean, look at that. It's painful to watch," Seventeen commented.

"The effects are awful," Gohan mumbled. "They could've at least done that right."

Videl looked down at where her father was standing in the middle of the ring, and noticed him face palming as he watched the movie in embarrassment. "Well, at least my dad isn't particularly fond of this film either."

"It _is_ a piece of crap," Tanip said, grimacing.

The movie ended with Mr. Satan 'defeating' Cell, kicking him into a mountain (which was completely ironic considering Cell _bitch-slapped him into a mountain_ ), and Cell exclaiming in a monotone voice, "I'm losing!"

"Mr. Satan is great!" 'Goku' in the film exclaimed.

"I wish I were him!" 'Vegeta' in the film nodded in agreement.

Both Goku and Vegeta stared at the screen before looking at each other, both with a perplexed look in their faces, before looking back at the screen.

Cell dramatically stood up in the movie. "I am beaten! …Ah." And he exploded.

And Mr. Satan stood in the film, doing a peace sign, and exclaiming, "Justice always wins!" And the credits rolled.

While everyone else was still cheering, the Z-Fighters were stunned into silence, their eyes wide.

"The fuck we just watched?!" Vegeta questioned.

"The most ridiculous and untrue yet entertaining movie of all time," Goku replied, letting out an awkward laugh.

* * *

"Ah! This is a wonderful seat so I can watch my Idasa and Ikose defeat all these kids," the mother of Idasa and Ikose grinned widely as she sat near Oolong, occupying most of his space and causing him to squeeze his soda and make most of it spray into his face. Oolong glared at the woman who hadn't even bothered to apologize—didn't seem to care he was there at all—before silently wishing his kids would have to fight one of the junior Z-Fighters so that the woman's happy mood ended up in utter disappointment.

* * *

"And now it's time for the Junior Division to start!" The announcer grinned as the people began to cheer. "Yes, I know. Exciting! Now, to begin, I would like to call our young participants to come to the ring!" The young fighters began making their way to the ring. "Unlike the adult division, there are no preliminaries in this division, which means all thirty-six participants will fight for the title of Junior Champion!" People cheered even more. "Let's give them a round of applause!" he exclaimed when all the kids were standing in the ring.

The audience began clapping.

"Great! Now it's time for the first match!" The announcer was grinning widely; glad the tournament was finally starting—even if it was just the Junior Division. "We have fourteen-year-old Cella versus twelve-year-old Bryson!"

Cella grinned. "Seems it's my turn."

"Kick his ass, Cella!" Cumber told her with a smirk as he and the other kids walked out of the ring. He knew his twin sister would win. It was a given.

Chimaki elbowed him in the gut as she rolled her eyes. "No need to hurt the poor guy," she said. She smiled at Cella. "Just you win!"

"You know I will." _'I wonder how I'll beat this guy. Depends on his attitude. If he's a dick, then he's definitely in for a humiliation. If not, then I guess I can fake weakness for a little…'_

"Hey!" Bryson walked up to her and gave her a smile. "I just wanted to say I wish you good luck. You look tough. I hope we have a good fight."

Cella found herself smiling at the human. "Thanks. Same here." _'Okay, this guy definitely deserves to be given a chance. I'm gonna win anyway, but I won't humiliate him just because he's nice.'_

The announcer looked at both young fighters, seeing they were both ready. "Fight!"

Cella was true to her word and fought with Bryson for a while. _'Considering he's a human that doesn't know how to use his Ki, he's pretty good. I mean he's pretty weak, but considering the circumstances, he's good.'_ Unlike her brother, Cella gave credit to people she believed deserved it, even if it was a little one. They exchanged blows for a while. Cella wasn't tired out and the boy's blows didn't hurt, but Bryson was obviously getting tired. _'I guess I have to end this.'_ She cornered Bryson until he ended up falling from the ring.

"Out of the ring! The winner is Cella!"

Cella bumped her first into the air, grinning. She turned to Bryson and helped him stand up. He didn't seem like a sore loser, and instead he smiled at her. "Thanks. You're really good. I guess I have to train more. I'll definitely be better next time!"

"That's the attitude to have!" Cella really was liking this kid. _'If the Earthlings find out the truth today—and they probably will—then people like him will be able to finally train and live up to their true potentials.'_ The two walked back to where the other kids were waiting, just talking about martial arts, and then they waved goodbye and walked their own ways.

"You sure seemed nice to that kid, huh?" Cumber muttered in annoyance.

Cella smacked him. "Don't be jealous, Brother. He's nice. It's not like I'll ever see him again anyway."

Cumber muttered. He loved to annoy his sister, but she was his family and he protected family. Even from harmless boys. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Two fights later, it was Chimaki's turn. The girl grinned widely when she heard the announcer call for her. Her opponent was a 13-year-old boy, a year older than her. "I wonder if the guy I'll fight is nice or mean," she commented.

"It doesn't really matter 'cause you'll beat him anyway, sis!" Goten chirped happily.

"That I will!" she grinned and walked to the ring beside the boy.

_'She looks familiar… And if I remember correctly, she was standing with Goku and the others. Is it possible that she's Goku and Chi-Chi's daughter?'_ The announcer looked at the girl. She did look a lot like Chi-Chi, but she had some few features that was definitely Goku. The spiky hair and that grin were definitely him. _'That is Goku's daughter! That is so awesome! Now we'll get to see what the real fighters are made of.'_

The announcer couldn't stop smiling. Everyone who was part of Goku's group was probably super strong. He noticed the girl that fought first, Cella, seemed to hang out with Chimaki and everyone else, which meant she was part of that group as well. He was sure every single kid out of that group was super powerful and actually knew how to put a fight. It was exciting to know that things would be fun to watch again. He knew the fights between normal kids entertained most of the audience, but he was part of the group of people who wanted to see a badass battle. And he was sure he would!

"Fight!"

Chimaki's opponent was a mouthy, proud boy that was sure he'd win because he was older and because Chimaki was a girl. Chimaki quickly defeated him, proving him wrong, and the whole audience cheered while the announcer grinned in excitement.

"Next we have fourteen-year-old Cumber versus ten-year-old Justin!"

"Don't kill him," Cella warned.

"And don't hurt him too bad," Chimaki added.

Cumber rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, will do."

Cumber kept his word and defeated Justin quickly and as painlessly as possible. Justin hadn't been too happy, and he'd began to throw a bit of a tantrum, much to Cumber's annoyance. Despite how much he wanted to shut the kid up, he just ignored him and went back to his friends.

There were three other fights between Cumber's and Trunks'. In the second one, the kid who lost begun to cry, disappointed he'd lost. He was quickly comforted when Mr. Satan showed up, and after the champ gave him words of reassurance, he couldn't stop smiling. It was clear Mr. Satan knew how to win a crowd, gaining their love and respect.

But would he still have it when the truth came out?

Trunks had to fight Idasa, something he definitely didn't mind; he'd get to kick that mayor annoyance right out of the tournament. Most of the audience was convinced Trunks would lose because he was younger, but those who knew Trunks knew better. Trunks' friends cheered on him, telling him to teach him a lesson, something that Trunks was happy to do. As for Idasa, he was convinced he'd win against the kid. He had a smirk plastered in his face, genuinely believing he'd be champion.

* * *

"My handsome Idasa is gonna teach this kid how it's done! There is no way he'll lose against that bowl-cut little kid!"

Bulma glared at Idasa's mother for dissing her son, before yelling, "Come on, Trunks! Show him what you've got!"

"Oh, dear, that's not gonna be enough," the woman said arrogantly. "My dear boy is gonna defeat yours in a matter of seconds."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Trust me, my boy is gonna wipe the floor with yours," Bulma said.

"That's not gonna happen," the woman muttered with a glare at Bulma, fixing her stylish glasses.

"It fucking will, and it will be beautiful," Oolong muttered, happy that his wish had come true.

Trunks defeated Idasa in less than a few seconds. Two kicks and Idasa had flown into the air and ended up out cold. Trunks smirked—the guy who had tried to bully him and his friends ended up lying on the floor seeing stars—as he walked back to where his friends were. He hadn't tried to knock him out cold, but at least he finally shut up. Idasa had spent the entire time taunting Trunks and he had been getting tired of it.

"I told you," Bulma said proudly as the woman looked shocked.

"Your boy just got lucky! Don't be so proud. My son, Ikose, is definitely gonna do better!"

"I doubt it," Celga muttered under her breath, trying her best to ignore the annoying human.

* * *

After Trunks fought, it was Kytsu's turn to fight a ten-year-old boy. Similar to what happened with Trunks, everyone thought there was no way the four-year-old girl would defeat her opponent. People had to pick their jaws from the floor when the little Saiyan defeated the older kid with just three punches.

"That was boring," Kytsu pouted.

After Kytsu's fight, it was Rose's turn to fight against a nine-year-old girl. The girl was not half bad, and Rose traded some punches with her before getting bored and finally throwing the older girl out of the ring. The girl didn't hold it against Rose, though, and the two of them walked back chattering away.

A fight later, it was Goten's turn to fight Ikose. The boy hadn't been bothered at all by the fact that his older brother had lost to Trunks. If anything, he was grinning because that meant he had a better chance to winning the tournament himself! And he was convinced that, unlike his brother, he wouldn't lose against a kid that was seven years younger than him.

Goten was nervous. Not because he had to fight Ikose—he knew he would beat him—but because being in front of too many people made him nervous. He saw the just how many people there was in the audience and gulped.

"Goten," his sister put her hands on his shoulders. "Don't pay attention to the amount of people out there. I know it seems a bit scary, but they shouldn't worry you. Just go out there, beat that kid, and then come back here. It's just that simple, trust me."

Goten nodded and smiled at his sister. "Okay, Big Sister!"

Still, he was still nervous as he and Ikose went to the ring. Ikose noticed the kid's nerves and smirked, believing that Goten was nervous of the fight instead of the amount of people. "You look nervous."

Goten laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

* * *

Ikose's mother laughed loudly. "Look at that other kid! He's so scared of my dear Ikose!" She laughed some more. She honestly believed, just like her son, that Goten was nervous of the fight and not the amount of people. "Ikose! Show that little tot just what you're made of! And don't hold back! Remember what happened to your brother? Show no mercy!"

"Goten!" Chi-Chi called, because she knew her son, and she knew that he was nervous for the amount of people. "Relax! You'll do fine!"

Ikose's mother immediately went and began saying how there was no way a little tot like Goten would be able to defeat Ikose. Chi-Chi and the others decided to ignore her, but not Bulma. The blue-haired genius decided to talk back to this annoying woman.

"Wasn't it your big strong son that my little boy knocked out cold with one little kick?"

The woman leaned in closer to Bulma, completely squashing poor Oolong as she yelled, "That was just pure luck! One miracle is enough for one day! This boy won't be so lucky!"

* * *

The announcer couldn't stop his shock when seeing Goten. "Oh my god! Goten, huh?" _'Okay, if that girl was Goku's daughter, then this is definitely his son. The resemblance is uncanny. He looks just like Goku did all those years ago!'_ He was amazed. _'Back when he and the others were just kids and participated. Goku fought against Jackie Chun in the finals. I'll never forget it!'_ He couldn't stop grinning. _'I'm sure this kid is gonna decimate all, just like his sister and his other friends have been doing!'_

And the announcer was not disappointed at what he saw. Ikose tried to fight Goten, but the seven-year-old blocked every punch and kick that Ikose send his way, before just getting bored and punching Ikose. That one punch was enough to knock the boy out cold.

* * *

Ikose's mother looked shocked, and Bulma couldn't help but stick her tongue out at her childishly, laughing at the fact she'd proven the arrogant woman wrong. The woman couldn't stand Bulma mocking her, so she let out a screech and screamed, "I'm going to kill you!" She didn't even take three steps and Chi-Chi had already punched her, knocking her out cold.

"Thank you," Celga smiled at her childhood friend's wife.

"Finally some peace and quiet," blue-haired Launch agreed.

The people around them didn't even disagree.

* * *

It was Pia's turn, and she had to fight a twelve-year-old girl. By this point, people weren't even sure if they could pull the age card to determine the winner. And they were right not to do so, because the five-year-old Pia defeated the much older girl quite easily.

A fight later, it was Daikon's turn to fight. He was fighting a fifteen-year-old—one of Idasa's sidekicks. The other one had lost in a fight against another kid, so it only left him out of the three left, and Daikon was more than happy to kick him out of the tournament himself.

"Do not get out of hand," Chimaki warned her younger cousin.

"You are no fun," Daikon muttered.

"I'm being responsible. Now go, and remember not to hurt him too bad."

"Can I knock him out cold?"

"Yeah, sure," Chimaki shrugged. "Nothing too overkill though."

"Awesome!"

Daikon didn't waste any time in knocking the older kid out cold, although he didn't hurt him too much, and the crowd cheered at him. He smirked and threw his hands up in the air in celebration.

The next three fights were Cella, Chimaki, and Cumber against three other kids respectively. Obviously, the three Saiyans defeated their opponents. After those three matches and another one between an eleven-year-old versus a thirteen-year-old, it was time for Trunks to fight Kytsu. That was the very first match so far in which two Saiyans would fight.

"I hope you don't think you'll win," Trunks teased the younger girl with a smirk. He was aware he was much stronger than her, and he knew that she was aware of it, too.

Kytsu stuck her tongue out at him. She was young, and she was quite proud of her strength; she was still convinced Pia and Daikon were pessimists when they told her they wouldn't be able to beat Goten back when they last visited Earth. "I'm not gonna be so easy to defeat!"

The announcer was grinning. He had a feeling this would be a good match. _'Finally we get to see the good stuff!'_ "Fight!"

Kytsu didn't waste time in launching herself at Trunks, throwing punches and kicks at him. While her sister, Pia, usually tried to analyze her opponent before attacking, Kytsu was all about attacking head-first, using her speed as an advantage. And since she was just a four, her body was still little, which made it a bit harder to actually hit her. Trunks blocked and dodged most of her attacks, though there were some few that made it past his defense and actually hit home.

Annoyed that her physical attacks obviously weren't doing much, Kytsu jumped back and blasted Trunks; a barricade of energy balls coming right towards him. Trunks ran around the ring, dodging her attacks, and then counterattacked with his own energy blast. Kytsu dodged the blast, and used the opportunity to fly towards Trunks and punch him in the face. She only got three hits before Trunks blocked her again.

Kytsu growled and took off, flying up as fast as she could. Trunks followed after her, and she tried to blast him, but Trunks dodged once again. They exchanged a few blows in the air. While Trunks wasn't too tired, it was clear little Kytsu was starting to tire herself. That's when Trunks decided he should end the fight. "Sorry about this," he said before punching her, sending her crashing into the ground and out of bounds.

The audience was speechless; clearly shocked at what they'd just seen. Some of them even thought that Kytsu had been killed when Trunks punched her. The poor girl had fallen from pretty high. They were a little reassured when Kytsu stood up, not looking too happy as she was pouting and crossing her arms, but she was living; something the audience found impressive—it should've been impossible.

They felt amazed; completely shocked. They didn't even know what to think. What they saw was even real? It couldn't be real, now, could it? They were probably tricks. After all, they were a bunch of kids. But how come the tricks were that well-made? They couldn't even point out flaws or fakeness. There just didn't seem to be any ropes or lights for the tricks.

But isn't that the idea?

Everyone in the audience stood completely speechless; shocked. And the reactions were varied. Some refused to believe it was real; they had to be tricks, just like the Golden Warriors from seven years ago. They chose to embrace that idea, because that was their beliefs and their reality would crash down on them if told otherwise. Others were starting to doubt they were tricks. It just seemed _too real._

Some few, however, were excited. Some were delighted to see such powers; it was something amazing, something that shouldn't be possible yet apparently it was—something so _intriguing_. The others who were excited were those who—like the announcer, Mr. Historia, and many others—remembered the old tournaments; remembered the fights, remembered just how _real_ it was. It was like they'd gone back in time. Like if the real fighters finally showed up and decided to make their grand entrance.

Trunks and Kytsu were just kids, but these people didn't underestimate them, because they did remember just how much ass Son Goku and Krillin kicked back when they were two kids participating in the tournament for the first time.

The announcer was one of these people, and he couldn't stop smiling. "Folks! We have a winner! Give it up for Trunks!"

The few people that were excited of this show of powers—the memories of old tournament battles coming back—began clapping in excitement, cheering and making loud noise over the general silence that had owned the place. This prompted some other people—mainly the ones who were doubting these powers were actually tricks—to join and clap as well. And the others; those who tried so hard to hold onto their blinded version of reality, could do nothing but keep staring in shock.

Some of them, however, managed to get over their shock and booed as loudly as they could. This only prompted the fans of the old tournaments to cheer louder, trying to show the kids that they supported them. Some of these people didn't have any problems with Mr. Satan, but most did wonder when the real fighters were going to come back, and now they were finally here. They wouldn't allow the haters to take them away.

Vegeta looked at his son with a proud smirk. Bulma was cheering loudly. Mato and Tanip grinned at their pouting daughter. She hadn't won, but she had definitely improved. That was good.

"Told you, you wouldn't win," Trunks teased the pouting four-year-old.

"Shut up."

* * *

"Mr. Satan! There's something you should see!"

Hercule gave a sideways glance at his assistant as he sat on his very comfortable chair. "What is it?"

"The Junior Division. The last battle—"

Hercule let out a laugh. "Ah, those are just some little kids fightin'. I'm sure they can become great fighters one day, but for now they're still amateurs."

"But, sir, you don't understand—"

Hercule waved him off. "There's nothin' to understand. I'll go out there and see what's up in some few moments. Until then," he took a drink of his beer, "I'll just relax. I'll have to start my warm up soon, so I rather rest a little before then." He let out a loud, booming laugh. "Can you get me another one of these?" he gestured to his beer. He was a good man, but he clearly enjoyed living a life of luxury and being worshipped. It had clearly worsened his ego.

The assistant thought about arguing some more, but he just sighed, knowing Mr. Satan wouldn't listen, and went to get the beer. _'They're probably just tricks anyway, and they're kids. Nothing to worry about…'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the chapter. The Junior Division should be done with in a chapter or two, and then we're moving on to the Adult Division! *cheers* Big shout out to Gotrix for writing the fights! He's good at that, and fights are really not my forte, so yeah. XD 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	36. Generation S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter for y'all! Sorry for the long wait, though! At least it wasn't as long as last time. XD 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

After that match, it was Rose's turn to fight a twelve-year-old guy. Rose was grinning widely. She knew she was completely outclassed by her Saiyan friends; she was happy she had enough luck to shine in the tournament for a little at least before being defeated by her stronger friends. Sure enough, the daughter of Yamcha didn't have much trouble defeating the older boy.

The next fight was Goten versus Pia. Unlike her sister, Pia was aware she was gonna be defeated by her older cousin. She couldn't match up against a Super Saiyan. However, that wouldn't mean fighting him wouldn't be fun. And Goten seemed to think that as well, because he grinned at her as they were walking towards the ring.

"This is gonna be fun!" he cheered.

Pia smiled. "Yeah, it will be!"

The announcer grinned even wider when seeing Goten. Things were starting to get fun now that the good fighters were left. And he was convinced Goku's son was gonna give quite the show. _'That girl was hanging around the kids of Goku and the others. I'm sure Pia will be super. And if Goten is as good as his father, then this will be an amazing fight!'_ "Fight!"

Goten immediately went offensive and launched himself to fight Pia. Pia was more focused on dodging; using whatever openings she could find to attack Goten whenever she had the opportunity to. After exchanging punches and kicks, Pia jumped back to gain more distance between them and attack him with energy blasts. Goten blocked them and then jumped forwards to attack her once again.

Pia was barely able to dodge the kick Goten threw at her, using her smaller body to roll on the ground before uppercutting him. Goten didn't expect that, so he was stunned for a few seconds which gave Pia a perfect chance to blast him. Goten took the blast head-on, but it didn't make much damage. Pia was just happy she'd actually managed to blast him.

Goten flew up to where his cousin was. Pia was able to dodge a lot of her cousin's attacks, but some of those still hit home and they fazed her. She was getting tired as well. So when Goten blasted an energy beam at her, she wasn't even able to react and suddenly she was out of bounds.

While the announcer exclaimed the winner was Goten with a huge smile on his face, Goten went to check on his cousin. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

Pia smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I knew I'd lose anyway."

"You were awesome there though," Goten told her.

"Thanks!"

The same people who were cheering for Trunks before now were cheering for Goten. As for the rest of the audience; they were still in denial, still trying to figure out how those very realistic tricks were being pulled off. Others still booed, but the cheering managed to overshadow it. Chi-Chi was smiling widely while Goku teased his sister about his son beating her. Gohan was grinning as well; clearly happy for his brother even though the outcome was pretty obvious. Chimaki hugged her little brother once he and Pia made their way back, and then she hugged Pia as well.

After the fight between cousins, it was time for their other cousin, Daikon, to fight a fourteen-year-old that was beaten easily. After that, it was time for both Cella and Chimaki to fight. That was alright with both girls though; they both loved to fight each other. While it was obvious that Chimaki was stronger than Cella, the full-blooded Saiyan was still a great fighter and managed to catch Chimaki off guard with her skill.

Chimaki and Cella grinned at each other before walking to the ring together. They were really close friends, and they loved to fight. Doing so in a ring with a whole lot of people watching just made it so more fun!

"And now, it's time for the first of our quarter-final matches! These two girls show some sensational fighting skills, and it'll be just _amazing_ to see them fight each other! It's time for the twelve-year-old Chimaki and the fourteen-year-old Cella to show us just how it's done!" the announcer called out as the crowd roared in anticipation. _'I can tell this won't be like the other battles. Cella seems to be strong, and they seem to be friends. Goku's daughter might have to fight seriously now!'_

"This is gonna be fun," Chimaki grinned.

Cella smirked. "Damn right!"

Once the roar died down there was a moment of silence.

Then the start signal sounded and mayhem broke out.

Her aura surging far beyond her own control, Chimaki charged straight for Cella, firing Ki blasts as she did in the hopes of keeping her opponent from avoiding the first assault. Her right arm drawn back, Chimaki slammed forward into her friend's defensive stance, only to bounce of her crossed arms. Chimaki swiped furiously at her opponent only to find all of her kicks blocked by knees or forearms and couldn't seem to connect with any punches or elbow strikes. Seeing a small opening by the right side of Cella's ribs, Chimaki dropped her guard and feinted with her right knee only to side punch her foe in the rubs, staggering them.

Seeing weakness, Chimaki snapped her left first to connect with the side of Cella's head, except she swung just in front of the spot she meant to. Bewildered, Chimaki felt her footing go from her and she slammed forwards onto her face and, more significantly, Cella's waiting knee, causing a cut to open above her left eye. Sliding off of Cella's knee, Chimaki fell to the arena floor, as she rolled at high speed to gain ground and push back up a Ki blast hit her back pushing her further sideways and into the ground.

_'I'm in a bit of trouble. Better take to the skies,'_ Chimaki decided as she flipped forwards and darted straight up just as Cella rushed forwards to her attack her again. Looking down, Chimaki saw something she hadn't expected at all.

There was another Cella.

"I really hate copies!" Chimaki hissed loudly as she it dawned on her the whole time she was trying to beat down Cella she was simply being distracted.

"You got me," the injured Cella clone laughed as she merged back with the original Cella, phasing back out of the way of a hastily fired Masenko from Chimaki.

While the clone had received a significant amount of damage; as the power is halved when copies are made, so are the extent of the injuries to the original when the copy merges back. Cella had a couple of bruises on her forearms and her ribs clearly bothered her a little but she was otherwise unharmed.

Knowing she had to go on the offensive again, Chimaki descended feet first into the ascending form of Cella, only to pass straight through an afterimage. Chimaki tried to halter herself but her momentum was too great as she managed to slow and begin to pivot to where she sensed Cella, she was met with her grinning face and a knee to the gut that took left her breathless, effectively stunning her for a moment. Cella flipped onto her back and used Chimaki's stationary body to her advantage, push-kicking off her face and righting herself. As Chimaki careered towards the ground Cella fired a stream of Ki blasts down after as she balanced her flight again.

Raising her arms above her head she put her palms together and dark blue Ki crackled between them. Charging for a couple of seconds, Cella then threw her arms down towards Chimaki's impact crater and thrust her palms and the orb of Ki that had formed downwards. Sending it straight towards her friend's Ki signature which had sparked back up disturbingly quickly.

"November Rain!" Cella yelled, proud of being able to showcase her signature attack which exploded as soon as it reached the grounding. A huge flash went off and blinded her for a moment, when her vision returned she saw she'd blown up a quarter of the arena floor and more importantly there was a retaliatory Kamehameha heading straight for her. Wheeling down and corkscrewing towards an undamaged section of arena floor out of the way, Cella was met with Chimaki's right leg which smashed her out of flight and into the ground.

Rising to her feet quickly, Cella dodged a punch to the face and got a look at Chimaki who, in her opinion, was looking terrifying at that moment. With a deep cut above one of her eyes and heavy bruising whether her clothing had been torn she looked like she'd come out of a sparring session with Vegeta. The concerning thing though was the look on her face. A contorted mixture of embarrassment at having been toyed with all match and the resulting anger from it. Her eyes were hard like Cella had heard happened at times with Goku and Gohan.

No sooner than Cella dodged the next punch, she was caught in the chest with a kick and forced back before she could even react. A Ki blast went off at her feet forcing her to jump and promptly be crunched back down by a two handed blow by Chimaki. Dazed but still with it, Cella rolled to avoid the kick that would have sent her out of the arena, pushing herself up with her right elbow and flight she sent out an area Ki wave to try and gain some time.

She thought it had worked but was dismayed to see Chimaki's silhouette move through the wave and towards her. A kick landed with the side Cella's thigh, buckling her stance and leaving her open to an elbow in the collarbone. The pain nauseated Cella and she stumbled which luckily caused her to dodge the kick that would surely have knocked her out. Knowing she had to counter attack, Cella focused and shot off a few jabs to Chimaki's face. She blocked them all but the sudden change in roles unsettled her. Seeing an opportunity, Cella tightened her defense and let Chimaki come at her.

Using her small agility advantage, Cella ducked around the first onslaught, catching Chimaki during more arcing kicks and chops. Which only further annoyed her and caused her to be sloppy, leaving more openings. Though nothing that Cella landed was noticeably hurting Chimaki anymore.

_'I need to go harder. All I'm doing is annoying her,'_ Cella realized grimly as she hopped backwards to gain some ground.

Moving some Ki into her legs, Cella kicked out at Chimaki much more vigorously than before. The first two missed entirely, the third hit in Chimaki's ribs and made her wince. However, as Cella tried to press the attack, Chimaki figured out the pattern and blocked Cella's right leg with her arm, forcing it down. With Cella's momentum gone, Chimaki closed the distance and thrust her forearm sideways into Cella's stomach, and using the distraction grabbed the front of her outfit. With no way to break free, Cella tried to fly out of her grip but was got blood a blow to the jaw for her efforts.

Drawing her right arm back, Chimaki moved Ki to it and flung it forward into her friend's chest as she let go of her.

"It's over," Chimaki stated as Cella was thrown by the force of the blow out of bounds, digging a small trench into the grounds as before she came to a halt.

"The winner is Chimaki by ring out! Congratulations on making it to the semi-finals!" the announcer shouted. The crowd was screaming in elation; while there were still shocked people, people who were in denial and even booed, the excited fans' cheers overshowed them. Girls in particular were cheering at the two Saiyan girls over the fantastic show they had put. It was kind of inspiring.

Cella wearily got up on one knee and pushed herself up slowly, limping slightly and holding her side with her left arm she walked gingerly to her old friend who was also going to meet her.

"Hey, sorry I got so rough in there. I kinda saw red a bit. That was an awesome fight! You should be proud," Chimaki apologized with a sheepish smile, hoping she hadn't gone overboard.

"Hey, we're both fighters here and Saiyans. We're supposed to live for this stuff, so don't worry about it. Though, personally, I don't know what the appeal is. Congratulations and thanks for not just going Super Saiyan and annihilating me," Cella smiled back laughing when she heard some people in the crowd chant her name as she patted Chimaki on the back.

"I may have won, but looks like you won the heart of the crowd this round," Chimaki joked. "Let's go get healed up and see the others." Chimaki shook her head at her friend as Cella played up to the crowd even as she was grimacing through pain.

It was Cumber's turn next, and he had to fight a fifteen-year-old. The fight didn't even last five minutes. After that, it was Trunks versus Rose.

"I guess this is where my luck ends," Rose chuckled, resigned.

She did put up a fight, and she was obviously a much better fighter than all the other human kids that were participating. However, that didn't mean she had much of a chance against Trunks, and the fact she didn't know how to fly yet didn't work for her advantage. So when Trunks defeated her, she'd just shrugged and walked back with Trunks.

"Did you see the audience?" she asked the older boy with a laugh. "They were shocked!"

Trunks grinned. "Yeah, well, they should be. We're awesome."

The next fight was between Goten and Daikon. The two cousins walked into the ring once they were called. Daikon looked down at his younger cousin and grinned.

"Okay, so as much as I hate to admit it, I know you're stronger. Just don't think I'm goin' down without a fight!"

Goten laughed as he grinned. "I wouldn't ever think so!"

The announcer gave a smile to the audience, grinning; he couldn't wait to see what Goten would do. "Fight!"

Knowing Goten was a lot faster than him, Daikon let his cousin dash towards him and kick out. Throwing his arms up to block the first frontal blow, Daikon turned slightly to the right and let Goten mostly glide past him. Goten was surprised he missed and went at his cousin with more power, throwing a vicious series of punches that he knew couldn't be dodged. Daikon dodged the first blow to the face by inclining his head back, only to be caught in the ribs by Goten's left fist. Grunting from the pain, Daikon ignored the follow up kick to his knee and waited for Goten's next strike. Goten sensed weakness and powered up a little more and swung a bit wildly for Daikon's face, missing entirely as his cousin flew back and grabbed his outstretched arm.

Pulling him in with a grin, Daikon poured as much Ki as he could into his left arm and arced it into Goten, illuminating his cousin through its sheer power, causing the boy to writhe in pain. Not giving him time to recover, Daikon pulled him further towards him before letting go and dispersing Ki in a concussive wave into Goten; slamming him back across the ground before skidding to a stop just before the edge of the arena. Getting up, Goten wiped his mouth and shakily looked at his hand to see—to his disbelief—blood.

"I told you I wasn't going to make it easy for you, Goten! I suggest you get serious!" Daikon warned with a smirk that mirrored his father's perfectly.

"Serious it is then," Goten shouted back as his face darkened in renewed concentration and his aura started to transition to gold.

Putting his hands together at the side, Goten drew energy into the gap between his palms and began to utter the immortal words not heard at the tournament for decades. "Kame…" the seven-year-old called out as blue energy pulsed.

_'Oh, man! Only chance I have is to try and weaken it with my own blast. I hate that move,'_ Daikon groaned as he realized what Goten was doing and began to charge Ki into both his hands, moving them out to the side.

Yellow hued Ki charged in Daikon's hands as he raised them up to meet together above his head. Energy crackled between his palms as he poured as much Ki as he could in what he knew was a probably futile attempt to stop his cousin.

_'All I have to do is slow it, stop the charge and fly up; only got to struggle for a few seconds. When I'm free of it I can after image and try to wear him down. He's a kid; he'll get frustrated and try to end it fast and go Super Saiyan. I'll keep making afterimages and clones and tire him; he's young'n me and won't be able to hold it for too long,'_ Daikon planned ahead, trying to think of anything but the pain that came with pushing through his usual limits.

_'He is really trying with that. I may have to put more in than I'd like,'_ Goten realized with a small frown. Suddenly though an image he'd seen from an old fight came to the forefront of his mind and he knew he had the fight won. "Ha!" Goten yelled as he forced his arms forward, unleashing a blinding blue barrage of Ki at his opponent.

_'Ah, man! He went early!'_ Daikon panicked as he feared he hadn't channeled enough power. Throwing his arms down he hurled the gathered Ki into a constant stream of energy; his signature move, based on his father's Double Sunday.

Daikon screamed under the immense pressure he felt from forcing Goten's assault back, despite this the conjoined beams slowly inched towards him as the resistance increased.

Sensing it was time, Goten grinned before winking at his older cousin. Daikon was confused momentarily but focused on keep his Ki flow stable, determined not to buckle under the sheer force. Just as he was sure he could abandon the struggle, suddenly Goten's resistance simply ceased and Daikon's attack overpowered the Kamehameha and dug a massive trench in the arena, blowing it apart and stopping only at the walls that shielded the lowest seated spectators, impacting deeply. Blinded by the flash and being stuck to the spot in order to stop his Ki beam from killing the audience

Daikon briefly registered a dark blur above him and slightly to the side of his face before everything went white and then very dim. He had a vague sensation of pain and moving quickly before the numbness of shock took over and he slammed into the ground dazed.

_'Ah, no… I better not be...'_ Daikon began to think as he groggily got up ready to defend himself only to hear the most hated words to a fighter be announced over the arena speakers.

"Out of bounds!"

"What the hell did you do?!" Daikon questioned as his cousin came towards him and powered down. He wasn't angry; just utterly confused as his plan had been ironclad in his mind.

"Well, I saw you were really determined and putting in a lot power, and Super Saiyan can be tiring so instead of overpowering you and getting tired, I thought I'd cut off the struggle, speed over and punch you in the face," Goten laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. It'd been a great fight and he was hyped.

Daikon was just stunned by the brutally effective simplicity of his little cousin's plan. When he did regain some composure something very serious came to mind though. "That could have killed people, Goten. It was dangerous. I very nearly didn't stop in time!" Daikon lightly scolded; it wasn't his place to tell him what to do but he needed to say something before Gohan or the others did.

"Dad or one of the others would have blocked it if it was too much," Goten replied, not entirely convinced himself by what he was saying.

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, it was a good fight cousin. Good luck in the next round, kid," Daikon congratulated, deciding not to upset Goten after his win. The cousins bumped fists as they walked back from the arena to vigorous applause. A huge grin plastered on Gohan's face. Now, the quarter finals of the Junior Division ended, and both his siblings managed to get to the semi-finals. Of course, he didn't expect any less.

"You look relaxed. I really hope your sister hasn't taught you her tricks and moves," Chimaki noted once she and Cumber had walked into the ring. Cumber stood with his arms crossed, cracking his neck with lazy head rolls.

"I should be. I've got to the semi-finals with there being three Super Saiyans in the contest. I want to see what the gap is between the best of the rest and you guys and that's about it. But don't worry; tricks aren't my thing, no secret plans," Cumber replied with a shrug and a laid back smile. _'She won't know what hit her,'_ he assured himself, hoping his outward lack of ambition would lower her guard.

"No tricks? This won't last long then," Chimaki replied with a note of arrogance that masked the unease she felt; she knew she couldn't use Super Saiyan just yet, which limited her and was a bit concerning. _'I'm still stronger than him if I go out of the gate as hard as I did end of the last fight.'_

"And now for our first semi-final! Twelve-year old Chimaki versus fourteen-year-old Cumber! Competitors, are you ready?!" the announcer called out over the sound system.

With a rising of fists from both martial artists to signify they were ready, the countdown began and they settled into their starting stances. Chimaki powered up to the level she was at in her last fight and narrowed her eyes. Cumber just avoided eye contact.

_'This is going to be amazing! I can't wait to see what Goku's daughter will do next!'_ "Begin!" the announcer roared over the speakers as the crowd went insane, cheering both fighters on.

Moving forward, Chimaki went for a rush attack, to clear Cumber out of the ring if possible. She went in with an elbow strike and expected Cumber to dodge; not committing entirely she shifted her weight slightly so as to wheel around with a rib kick. Cumber stayed his ground and threw up his arms to deflect the strike, grunting as he felt a bruise form, but with her balance already upset and the follow up in motion made her stumble and miss the kick entirely, cleaving through air.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Cumber's face and saw the cold look in his eyes; she had made a terrible error.

Cumber flurry punched her in the face more to disorient than injure and used his left hand to grab her outstretched right leg. Using his leverage he lifted her and slammed her sideways into the arena floor. Not letting go, he raised her again but rotated on his heels and swung her in a wide, arcing manner, remembering Goku using his Dragon Throw technique in spar a long time ago.

_'Not enough to get her out of the ring but can't risk her senses returning anymore,'_ Cumber grimaced as he saw the surprise fade from Chimaki's eyes and Ki begin to glow from her hands. Not waiting to build up more speed, he hurled her straight for the nearest side of the arena.

Throwing her arms back, Chimaki righted herself as much as she could and fired Ki blasts off to slow herself, just stopping a few feet from the ring. As she straightened Cumber phased into view and kicked the top right leg, missing her hastily guarded ribs. Wincing from the stinging blow, she tilted her head back, avoiding an upper cut, retaliating with a kidney blow that caused Cumber to grit his teeth.

Thinking he'd lose focus, Chimaki raised her power even more and pressed forward with a barrage of kicks and punches which Cumber parried as best he could before dropping his guard to take a slicing fist to the face. Shaken but firm in his resolve, he slipped his right arm in under Chimaki's guard and fired a point blank Ki ball that exploded against Chimaki's stomach, pushing her back and forcing her to bend forwards.

Sensing weakness, Cumber snapped his left leg forward and caught her in the side of the jaw, knocking his opponent sideways by several feet. Using the new distance, Chimaki turned with the momentum and fired a poorly charged Masenko to gain time to compose herself; only for her reckless foe to cover his head and fly straight through it.

Raising her power even more, Chimaki braced herself as she got into a traditional Turtle School stance, anticipating a furious assault. Her eyes widened in horror though as Cumber enveloped himself in near off-yellow Ki and crashed into her fists first. Rocked and carried off by the sheer concussive energy, Chimaki flared her aura and rose up where it was safer to right herself. As she flipped forwards though her hair was grabbed by Cumber who having chased after her then dragged her in towards his waiting knees.

Her spine slammed onto Cumber's knee and stretched back, Chimaki saw stars and reflexively sent out a wave of Ki which forced Cumber off of her. Forcing herself to straighten, she raised her power even more, to the border of her base form limit and dropped to the ground.

_'If you want to fight this rough, we're doing it on my terms now!'_ Chimaki raged as pain continued to pulse up and down her back. Dropping about a dozen feet in front of his obviously enraged foe, Cumber settled into a more traditional fighting stance.

_'She's a bit hurt, but that did a lot less than I thought. The more brutal I got, it seemed the less she felt things…'_ Cumber pondered, confused as to what was happening until his friend's aura rose with her breath and her control of her Ki slipped, allowing him to sense it. Realizing the considerable increase in her power throughout the fight, he began to sweat for the first time.

"You realize the real fight starts now and you've done this to yourself right?" Chimaki asked through gritted teeth as she struggled to keep her aura in control, on the limit of going Super Saiyan without meaning to.

"Yeah, the real fun starts here! I'll tell you one thing, though. You won't ring me out like the others. You'll have to keep hitting me until I can't get up. Only way I'll lose," Cumber replied seriously, committed to seeing this through as far as he could.

"That's the only way I plan to end this one," Chimaki shot back before rushing forward once more.

With a clear power and thus speed advantage, Chimaki came at Cumber faster than he could properly react and kicked his chin, jerking his head back. As he began to fall back she went behind him and push-kicked him forwards. He rocketed face first, tearing up the arena floor as he went along before skidding to a halt two thirds of the way across. Seeing a chance to end things early, Chimaki pulled her arms back and put her palms together for the Son signature move.

_'Well… she's done holding back,'_ Cumber joked to himself feebly, dimly hearing Chimaki chant what where usually the last words foes of the Son family ever heard.

Cumber tried to fly but was still too rattled and only raised himself to his hands and knees, hovering an inch at best before faltering to the floor. He started to sweat as the glow from Chimaki increased to the point it was blinding. Knowing he had maybe a couple of seconds, he tried to think about what his friends and family would do.

_'Trunks would just go Super Saiyan and tank it. Vegeta and Gohan would deflect it. Goku would just use Instant Transmission. None of that helps at all… Got to be quick and creative. Krillin would probably try some desperate attack to launch himself up. Well, nothing to lose I guess,'_ Cumber reasoned as with a sigh. He resigned himself to a last ditch attempt and probably inevitable defeat.

Pressing his palms flat to the rubble, he poured out and remaining Ki he could muster and fired straight down. The energy burrowed a hole straight down through the arena and the force pushed him several feet above the ground just as Chimaki screamed out her attack and it flowed towards where he had just been. He had a stinging sensation across the front of his body as the outer edge of Chimaki's Kamehameha grazed him, despite that he'd avoided it and gained valuable recovery time.

_'I can't believe that actually worked! Going to have to pay more attention to some of the old crazy stories Dad and the others tell. But first of all, I need to settle this score,'_ Cumber celebrated as cut off his Ki beams and stabilized himself, glaring at Chimaki who was still firing her Kamehameha.

With a defiant roar, Cumber flared his aura back to life and flew as fast he could, fists pulled back at Chimaki's stationary form. Looking up in shock, Chimaki's eyes widened as Cumber's fist came into frighteningly clear view. Cutting off her attack, she tried to evade but it was too late and her vision blurred as Cumber's fist connected squarely in her face, his speed amplifying the force of the attack.

Staggered, Chimaki threw up her arms across her face but was caught in the ribs several times, causing her to gasp. Instinct took over and she collected herself, flying back and trying to gain distance with some jabs and kicks which Cumber parried and returned with shots that mostly hit their mark. Bruised and totally off-balance, Chimaki reverted to the most basic things her brother and father had taught her; the traditional Turtle School defensive stance. Trying to predict the pattern of his attacks, she fluidly weaved in and out of his techniques paths and regulated her breathing, slowly regaining clarity.

Cumber was starting to tire from the relentless pace and his advantage was fading as every moment went by. His legs shifted with an annoying delay and his cut and swollen arms began to feel like they were weighted down. His thoughts drifted to an alternative approach but it distracted him enough to be rewarded by a fist buried deeply into his gut, forcing him to finally back off.

_'Okay, she's looking back on form. A fist fight may not be the way to go anymore, fighting at range doesn't work out either; she'd win a beam struggle. What the hell am I going to do?'_ Cumber thought with frustration as he flew in a zig zag motion backwards, narrowly avoiding Chimaki's increasingly powerful but wild attacks. With no other options left, he resorted to the desperate, last resort of every Z-Fighter in history; a volley of Ki blasts.

It went as well as could be expected, slowing Chimaki for only a second before she just ploughed through them and grabbed him by the throat.

Grinning wildly, Chimaki squeezed and spiraled down, forcing Cumber towards the ground who could only claw at her hands in vain. As the rapidly approached Cumber ceased his struggle and locked eyes defiantly with Chimaki. And in a pause between gasps for air, winked.

Putting his hands together, he charged yellow Ki and then thrust his palms directly into Chimaki's chest.

"Double Sunday Surprise," he wheezed, laughing internally at the look of horror and disgust etched on Chimaki's face as the Ki beam carried her off of him and exploded against her, sending her flying back.

_'Took fighting dirty to a new level. Dad would be proud,'_ Cumber chuckled to himself before impacting the ground and his world going blank.

Aware of loud voices announcing something, Cumber slowly opened his eyes and groaned at the light, his head throbbing with agony. Raising his head he faintly heard the announcer declare Chimaki the first finalist and that Goten and Trunks were up next. As he began to sit up he was grabbed and raised by an unknown figure. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and vision he blinked and looked at his side to see Chimaki holding him up.

"Welcome back," she grunted under the strain, clearly exhausted.

"What just happened?" he asked thickly, memory still cloudy.

"You kept your promise. You didn't go down easy and I had to knock you out. That last move hurt by the way," she replied, adding the last bit with a frown as she half carried him towards the changing rooms.

"Nice. Good luck in the final," he smiled, proud of how good a show he put on as the crowd cheered his name when he feebly raised a hand to the stands.

"Thanks, let's just get you a Senzu Bean first before you go playing to the crowd. I think Dad brought some just in case," Chimaki replied as they entered the changing area and met their friends and family.

"Hey! Got ahead of you guys and asked Uncle Kakarot for Senzu Beans," Cella smiled at her brother and friend, giving them the Senzu so they could heal. "Dad was proud of your new _tricks_ , bro," she added, and Cumber grinned at her.

"Now, it is time for the night fight! Seven-year-old Goten versus eight-year-old Trunks!" There was an uproar from the crowd; the people that cheered for Goten, Trunks, and everyone else were making themselves known. The announcer could understand them. He had a feeling this would be an awesome fight! "Whoever wins this will get to fight Chimaki in the finals! Which of these boys will get the chance?!" The crowd screamed in response; some cheering for Goten while others cheered for Trunks.

"Finally, it's our turn to fight each other!" Trunks grinned widely. He and Goten fought constantly but doing so in a tournament seemed to be more awesome. "Let's show these people how it's done!"

"Yeah!" Goten cheered.

"You can beat him, Goten!" Chimaki cheered for her brother. She knew Trunks was stronger but strength isn't everything and Goten was faster. Goten might be able to win and if he did, then they'd both get to fight in the finals. If not, she'd fight Trunks, which is awesome, too, but it wouldn't be as cool as fight her own brother. _'Two of Son Goku's children making it to the Junior Division's finals. That would be so cool!'_

Both half-Saiyans made their way to the stage. "Whoever wins this gets to fight your sister," Trunks noted. "It doesn't matter who wins, we've got to beat her!"

Goten laughed and shrugged. Honestly, he didn't think they could beat his sister without teaming up. That didn't mean they wouldn't give it a go! "We can try."

Trunks smirked. "Of course, _I'm_ gonna be who gets to the finals."

"Don't be so sure!" Goten grinned.

The announcer grinned ear-to-ear. _'I can tell this is going to be amazing!'_ "Fight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did end it there. XD I actually wanted to get the Junior Division done in this chapter, but it turned out way longer, so it will be finished next chapter. That's okay, though, since Gotrix is who's writing the fights (thank you, man!) I've written ahead while he's at it so I don't think it'll take as long as last time. Hopefully, I'm right. :)


	37. The Junior Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, what's this?
> 
> Is this…
> 
> An update?!
> 
> The actual chapter?!
> 
> HELL YES IT IS.
> 
> Finally!
> 
> I'm so, so sorry for the long wait! I never thought it'd take me… over a year to update (the actual chapter, at least). Huh. Um. Yeah. I know how much it sucks waiting for stories to update so… really, really sorry about that! At least this chapter is OVER 9000 words long so hopefully it's long enough to make up a little for the long wait!
> 
> Also, shout-out to Gotrixisgreat99 for helping me by writing the fights, again! Couldn't have done it without you, mate! :)

"Now, it is time for the night fight! Seven-year-old Goten versus eight-year-old Trunks!" There was an uproar from the crowd; the people that cheered for Goten, Trunks, and everyone else were making themselves known. The announcer could understand them. He had a feeling this would be an awesome fight! "Whoever wins this will get to fight Chimaki in the finals! Which of these boys will get the chance?!"

The crowd screamed in response; some cheering for Goten while others cheered for Trunks.

"Finally, it's our turn to fight each other!" Trunks grinned widely. He and Goten fought constantly but doing so in a tournament seemed to be more awesome. "Let's show these people how it's done!"

"Yeah!" Goten cheered.

"You can beat him, Goten!" Chimaki cheered for her brother. She knew Trunks was stronger, but strength isn't everything and Goten was naturally faster. He might be able to win if he fought to his speed. If he did, then they'd both get to fight in the finals. If not, she'd fight Trunks, which would be great, but it wouldn't be as cool as fight her own brother.  _'Two of Son Goku's children making it to the Junior Division's finals. That would be so cool!'_

Both half-Saiyans made their way to the stage. "Whoever wins this gets to fight your sister," Trunks noted. "It doesn't matter who wins, we've got to beat her!"

Goten laughed and shrugged. Honestly, he didn't think they could beat his sister without teaming up. That didn't mean they wouldn't give it a go!

"We can try," he replied, his laughter dying down.

Trunks smirked. "Of course, I'm gonna be the one who gets to the finals."

"Don't be so sure!" Goten grinned.

The announcer looked ecstatic at the prospect of the young prodigy's fighting it out.  _'I can tell this is going to be amazing!'_ "Fight!" he signalled to them before retreating to a safe distance.

Filled with the pure excitement of youth and the influence of his Saiyan genes, Goten lifted himself off the ground and charged head first at Trunks with his left leg bent.

_'You do this every time we fight. You won't beat me with stuff like this, Goten,'_  Trunks noted smugly as he prepared to side step, charging Ki balls in both hands.

Just as Goten was about to snap his left leg forward and connect with Trunks, he saw a faint glimmer come off his friend and feared what was to come. He passed straight through an afterimage of Trunks, his momentum carrying him too far before he could turn around. Floating to the side of where his after-image had been, Trunks hurled both Ki balls at Goten who was desperately trying to turn and get away, only to no avail. They exploded upon impact and singed the back of Goten's gi, burning the young Saiyan slightly as well.

Hissing through the pain, Goten finished turning around and straightened up, before flying full pelt at Trunks once more, his aura flaring to life, fists drawn back with the smile now missing from his normally cheerful face.

Raising his own power hastily, Trunks composed himself and adopted his father's fighting stance. Drawing his left fist back with his right arm stretched and bent out in front of his face, his hand forming a claw. His father claimed he learnt it from an ancient and great warlord Frieza allied with, but Trunks suspected he'd picked it up from watching Earth TV, specifically Kung Fu movies on his approach to the planet as it was identical to the Bajquan style Roshi showed him once.

Goten punched furiously at Trunks when he got in range, trying to use the shock of the collision to throw him off. Trunks, however, stepped back and weaved between the lightning quick blows, looking for an opening. Letting himself get hit by a grunt inducing kick to the back that bent him forwards a few degrees, Trunks smiled as he saw his opportunity present itself.

Goten had taken the bait and went for an uppercut to Trunks' face. Using his clawed hand, Trunks grasped Goten's wrist and twisted it back excruciatingly, pausing the younger boy's assault. With his free hand, Trunks lashed out and kidney punched the still struggling Goten several times before getting a Ki blast to the face that surprised him, the flash blinding him, allowing Goten to wriggle free and kick him in the chest for good measure, forcing him back.

While Trunks was getting his bearings, Goten flashed his aura back up and raised his power a little, leaping forward to close the distance with an elbow strike to Trunk's shoulder-blade. The force of the blow wasn't enough to really injure Trunks, especially in such a robust spot, but it had a jarring effect and his right arm became limp.

As he tried to raise his right arm and failed, Trunks was punched in the chin, sending him soaring up, shock etched on his face at the fact that Goten was actually able to fight this well. Not letting up, Goten let more Ki flow through him as he flew to get behind Trunks for an axehand smash back towards the Earth.

Well, at least that was the plan.

The small amount of restraint that Trunks usually had when fighting with Goten disappeared as waves of embarrassment swept over him. He was incredibly aware all of a sudden of the roars of the crowd and the fact his father was watching him get his ass kicked. He was the second Prince of all Sayians, and he was being shown up!

Embarrassment morphed into rage at the humiliation, he couldn't allow this and screamed his frustration as he'd often heard his father do. The emotional outburst fueled his power which rose reflexively far beyond what he'd been putting out so far. With his aura rising and falling erratically, Trunks turned in mid-air and grabbed Goten's conjoined hands just inches above his head. The pain in his right arm was no longer registerable as adrenaline flooded his system, giving him use of the affected limb once more.

Raising it quickly he made a gun with his fingers, his thumb as the hammer. With a tight, cruelly arrogant smirk similar to his father's he closed his thumb down and fired the infamous Dodon Ray.

Completely vulnerable, Goten was struck in the stomach where the thin beam of brilliantly bright yellow Ki propelled him backwards and exploded against him.

Hurt and winded, Goten could do nothing as his concentration escaped him, stopping his flight and sending him crashing towards the arena. Slowing himself before he hit the ground, Goten flipped up and threw his arms across his face anticipating Trunks to try and knocking him down again.

The strike never came however; Trunks knew his friend would avoid the ground and instead pushed his energy even higher and raced down to the arena to get below his friend. Trunks quickly raised both his arms to the side of his torso and changed his Ki, before extending his arms forward and firing his golden energy wave.

"Double Buster!" Trunks roared as his favorite attack escaped his control.

Sensing the attack but not having time to dodge, Goten expelled Ki around himself to block some of the technique like he'd seen Piccolo do before. Despite this, he was engulfed in the Ki wave and was forced sideways into the arena, crashing with a bone jarring momentum that only worsened the stinging pain from the small burns Trunks had just caused.

* * *

_'What… the fuck?!'_ Hercule screamed in his mind as he saw the two children fight each other. He had finally decided to see for himself what was going on, but whatever he had in mind for the Junior Division, this just wasn't it.  _'They're flying… and shooting light beams! Those're tricks! Those're…'_

_'No! Damn it! It wasn't supposed to be like this!'_ Anxiety was blooming in his stomach. A feeling similar to what he was experiencing when he saw that blond man fight Cell all those years ago. Those powers… they seemed out of this world. And yet… they had to be tricks, right?  _'How can they be using tricks?! I made sure they wouldn't! I gave orders to prevent this!'_

His eyes narrowed once he was able to discern one of the kids was Son Goku's seven-year-old son.  _'That explains it. Ain't no way a kid can fight like that. Of course the kid uses the same tricks his father does.'_ He scoffed. The tricksters even made it to the Junior Division. No wonder that tournament monk had told him to watch the fights.

And to think he had to fight whoever became Champion... If they used those tricks on him, then…

_'I'm not gonna stick around and watch tricksters fight each other,'_ he decided firmly, turning on his heel as he went back to his spacious room, refusing to look back as he ignored the sounds of battle and the awed exclamations and cheers from the audience.

He wondered why he felt as if he was running away.

* * *

Wanting to end the fight as fast as he could, Trunks sprinted towards the prone form of Goten in the hopes of kicking him out of the arena. As he got in range and kicked upwards he stumbled as a Ki blast hit his other leg, causing him to miss a rising Goten by an inch who in return punched him squarely in the face, forcing Trunks to skid backwards.

Now on the backfoot, Trunks could only dodge and guard as Goten let pain fuel his speed and power, blue sparks coming off of his limbs as his onslaught got fiercer. A lighting fast chain of kicks were successfully blocked by Trunks who lashed out and clipped Goten in the thigh, making the younger boy grit his teeth; the action cost him, though.

With his opponent's guard now off, Goten jabbed into Trunks' left side and kicked him in the shoulder, making him flinch and fall back again. The back and forth continued for a few moments with Trunks punishing Goten harshly whenever he got a chance, but receiving far more blows than he was meting out.

_'His speed is killing me!'_  was all Trunks could think as he was caught with another punch that forced a growl to escape him.

As his frustration rose so did his power, steadily increasing over time. Trunks decided to try a blunter approach to end the stalemate. Letting himself get kneed in the stomach, he seized Goten's bent leg and yanked him closer, headbutting the younger boy with such force he caused stars to form in his vision. Hurling Goten back by the leg, he then retreated to gain ground on his momentarily dazed opponent.

With a moment to breathe, Trunks calmed down slightly and surveyed the situation. It was only now when at a distance he noticed Goten's almost disheveled appearance and his heavy breathing. His Gi was ragged and the flesh it exposed was peppered in bruises, burns and small cuts.

While relieved he'd hurt Goten more than initially thought, Trunks was slightly concerned at how fierce his aura burned, with blue sparks occasionally crackling off his limbs. Knowing from the various aches and hot pain that was shooting through his body that he wasn't in much better shape than his best friend, he pushed his power to its normal limit with a cry of determination, his aura's flash dazzling the crowd, before it dimmed with flicks of blue crackling around him.

Raising his arms above his head, Goten gathered energy between his hands as he sped in a random manner towards Trunks, firing as he closed in. Shouting Masenko as he let loose, he groaned as it passed through an afterimage, only grazing Trunks' leg as he moved around it. Goten kept up rapid movement and managed to dodge the haphazard barrage from his friend's Energy Burst technique, avoiding every one of the small blasts that left deep craters in the already ruined arena. After narrowly missing another barrage, Goten noticed his energy begin to fall, the strain of rapid movement for so long was taking its toll and he began to think of a way to close the gap.

_'What would the others do? Multi-form won't work. I don't know the Dodon Ray or Destructo Disc. Maybe…'_  Goten considered as an idea sprang into his head.

Moving his arms down to his left and right sides, Goten gathered what Ki he could muster and launched two smaller Masenkos from his palms as his brother had once shown him. They hurtled towards the almost stationary Trunks' quicker than he could fully react, jumping out of the path of one and halting his barrage, causing him to straight into the beam on the right, the attack forcing him onto his back in a cloud of dust and debris.

Choosing to rush Trunks while he was getting up, Goten was struck by an invisible wall of Ki, halting him and sending him back a few feet along the arena floor. Trunks had gotten to his knees and with his right hand fired an invisible wave of Ki known as a Kiai.

Both of the exhausted young fighters stood apart, simply glaring at each other, waiting for the other to blink first.

Until Trunks laughed loudly and purely, with Goten joining in after a second's pause.

"Look at us! Holding back and refusing to give in against each other. We're worse than our dads!" Trunks called out as he struggled to contain his laughter. Despite his weary state, he was eager to continue; this was the fight of his life.

"You're right! I nearly went Super Saiyan a few times there!" Goten laughed back, glad the tension between them was now gone in this brief pause.

"Same here! Look, it's pretty clear holding back like this, it'll take a day before one of us loses due to tiredness. I say we take it up a notch," Trunks suggested, wanting to show the world and his family just what they could do.

"Are you sure we should? None of the others have…" Goten asked, uncertain if it was a good idea.

"No, but they  _will_. Let's beat our families to it for once! This is meant to be fun for everyone after all! Including us and the crowd, so let's give them a show!" Trunks grinned with a thumbs-up in response.

"You mean like Dad and Uncle Vegeta used to do; the lightning and stuff from the old videos?" Goten called out, getting excited at finally going for broke.

"The whole light and earth show, give it everything we have!" Trunks replied with glee in his voice, raising his power already, causing the sky to darken.

"You asked for it!" Goten shot back as he clenched his fists to his side and built his power, adding more dark clouds to the sky.

As both young warriors charged their energy, they screamed as loudly as they could. Not through exertion, but through excitement. The broken debris and rubble all around the arena began to rise off the ground around them in great waves, the sky became so dark with cloud it was almost like nightfall. Thunder rolled in the distance just as if on que their auras flashed high enough to reach the clouds themselves.

Lightning flashed all around, blinding the crowd and numbing to the tremors that were rocking the arena grandstands. As the tremors reached a highpoint that caused windows in the changing rooms to smash, both fighters' eyes began to go turquoise and their hair flashed between gold and natural.

With a final scream from both young Z-Fighters they expanded their auras to their golden max, flash blinding the awed crowd.

When the glared dimmed and the spectators could see once more they beheld the young boys were glowing with golden auras, blue energy in the form of lightning flicking around them as they walked towards each other, golden hair defiant towards gravity. They'd witnessed first-hand the pinnacle of the Saiyan race, and despite not being able to sense power, the masses could feel it and responded as any would, with thunderous applause and cheers.

"What the hell is that?!"

"What happened?! How did they do that?!"

"Th-That's like… it's like the Cell Games!"

"HOLY SHIT!"

Deafened by the roars of the spectators, Trunks and then Goten smirked slightly and pumped their fists into the air, nodding at each other to signal the final chapter of their fight.

Dashing quicker than the crowd could follow; they closed in on each other and made their opening gambits. Goten tried to use his higher speed to get behind Trunks, but since it was anticipated, he met with a fist that bloodied his nose, surprising him enough for Trunks to finish his Victory Smash combination and wheel around to kick in him the back, pushing him painfully forwards several feet.

Spinning on his heels, Goten pushed to his maximum and rammed Trunks, shoulder and fist first as he charged an energy attack, winding him. Following up with his Charge combination, Goten fired an energy blast below him that sprang him above and behind Trunks, allowing him to headbutt in a downwards fashion into Trunks's ribs as he turned.

Both of them stumbled at this and steadied themselves again, where with a tired grin of approval each they clashed once more.

Shockwaves sprang forth every time they young Super Saiyans made contact with each other, wowing the crowd into an even more intense fever pitch which only spurred them on even more. As fast as Goten was, he was getting noticeably hurt every time he slipped up; and despite how many hits Trunks was taking, he wasn't letting up. This made him reckless though, and allowed Goten to kick him in the chin viciously, launching him up in the air. Goten rose up to hurtle into Trunks only for him to pushkick off of his exposed head, slamming Goten back into the arena floor painfully.

Jumping back up, Goten rolled away as Trunks made to stamp down with his descent onto him. Putting his hands to his eyes, Goten sent blinding Ki forth from his face. "Solar flare!" he gasped, the attack blinding his friend. Giving himself a chance to get up and away from Trunks, he tried to assess the situation.

_'We're both tired out. I don't think I can keep doing this much longer, I need to win this soon or I'll lose eventually,'_  Goten decided as he looked on at Trunks roaring in frustration as he rubbed his eyes to clear them.

Taking a deep breath, the younger boy cupped his hands and drew them to his side. All of his remaining Ki was being concentrated into this single point, his hands spreading apart slightly as mass of energy grew larger than usual.

Sensing the burst of energy long before his vision cleared properly or he heard the start of the infamous incantation of the Kamehameha, Trunks turned to the origin of the energy and extended his arms to both sides of himself and formed two greatly golden Ki spheres. Bringing his arms in front of him he held out his hands with his index fingers pointed outward like in a gun shape, preparing to fire his ultimate technique just as he heard what many feared.

"Kamehameha!" Goten bellowed as he thrust his arms forward, releasing an immense stream of rippling blue Ki, greater than any he'd produced before.

"Big Tree Cannon!" Trunks roared in response as he fired his equally massive golden energy wave at the oncoming attack.

Both beams met in the middle as both fighters struggled to pour all of their reserves into winning the struggle, their muscles straining and voices going hoarse with the screams of effort. With one final, deafening scream from both as the back and forth struggle seemingly stalled, their respective energy beams surged once more, blinding all in the vicinity, including the Z-Fighters as a massive explosion rocked the stadium.

As the dust settled silence fell on the arena. Nobody dared react until they could see who was left standing.

As the obscurity cleared, they saw Trunks on one knee, no longer a Super Saiyan. The young boy was clearly exhausted, breathing heavily. And several meters opposite him, Goten was lying on the ground, too fatigued to continue as he was counted out.

Oblivious to the announcer declaring his victory, Trunks went up to his friend unsteadily and offered him a hand up that was gratefully taken.

"Well done, Trunks!" Goten grinned as he got up.

"You too! You were awesome. We were awesome!" Trunks replied with a fierce smile, proud of the performance they'd both shown.

"Yeah! Good luck against my big sister, though!" Goten laughed lightly as they moved towards the area their friends were at in the stands.

"Gonna do my best!" Trunks laughed, a wide grin in his face as he walked beside his best friend, but his eyes were completely serious.

* * *

"That was amazing!"

"Was that… even real?"

"And they even went gold…"

"It must be tricks. Tricks, I tell you!"

"Are you sure about that though?"

"Who cares?! That was awesome!"

"I hope the finals live up to the hype!"

* * *

"YES! THAT'S MY SON! WELL DONE, TRUNKS!" Bulma cheered loudly, her pride for her son's achievements quite obvious.

"Ah, poor Goten…" Chi-Chi sighed. She knew her son had done his best, but she was hoping he would win. "Still, now it's Chimaki's turn!" She smirked at the blue-haired woman. "Do you think Trunks can beat her?"

"Well, he damn sure can try!" Bulma didn't lose any of her enthusiasm. "My boy is smart. I'm sure he can figure something out!"

"That might be true, but there's no guarantee it'll work against my Chimaki."

"Oh, really? You'll have to wait and see, then!"

"Oh for the love of—" Oolong was done. He'd been used as a punching for Bulma the entire match and he wasn't having it anymore. Not for an entire fight. So he used whatever strength he had to get free, glaring up at the two mothers once he was. "I know those are your kids, but there's some of us that would like to see the finals without having to hear your arguing! Now if you could do us all a favor, and just watch the fights while cheering like  _normal_  people—as in, not using  _innocent bystanders_  as  _punching bags_ ," he glared at Bulma, making it very clear that he was talking about her, "that would be most helpful. Thank you."

And he sat down, stealing some of Puar's chips and eating them as he glared at the stadium.

"Wow, brave pig, that one," Kyuri chuckled, amused by the situation.

"Well, if you ladies are in need of a punching bag, I'll gladly be one as long as I get—" Master Roshi couldn't even finish his words as two fists hit him right in the face.

"Master… you never change," Ox-King commented.

* * *

"Aw, man, Goten lost."

"Looks like my son is stronger than yours, Kakarot," Vegeta taunted with a satisfied smirk, putting a hand on the other Saiyan's shoulder.

"But Trunks is up against Chimaki now," Gohan commented. "So…"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Don't assume Trunks won't win just because he has to fight her. Trust me, that boy has a plan up his sleeve." He smirked.

* * *

"And now, it's time for the final fight of the Junior Division Tournament!" The announcer grinned in excitement. "So, I want you guys to cheer as loudly as you can for our two young finalists! Twelve-year-old Chimaki versus eight-year-old Trunks!"

Both fighters walked up to the arena floor, neither paying any attention to the baying crowd, eager for a final like no other. Trunks normally adored the attention and would have played up to the crowd, but he knew what was ahead and celebrations would have to be saved for victory. He couldn't afford to be complacent. Chimaki conversely was calm and confident, but didn't have the ego of Trunks and simply couldn't be bothered with the fuss. Besides, she needed to win this and stay focused.

"I'm going to beat you just like I did your brother. Super Saiyan 2 or not, you're not going to knock me down or out of the ring!"

"You know, Trunks, you're sounding a lot like your dad does right before mine always kicks his royal butt."

Trunks frowned. In his mind, his father was the strongest, and due to that, he didn't like when he was reminded that Goku was stronger. Especially since Vegeta always would get in a bad mood when he realized that his fellow Saiyan was somehow still stronger. Now it wasn't as bad as it was when he was little, but he knew for a fact that it still annoyed Vegeta.

He knew his dad wanted him to be stronger than Goku's children if possible. He beat Goten, but Chimaki was his next opponent, and he didn't want to let his dad down!

"Oh, trust me, it won't be like that this time," he grunted, his eyes narrowing in an uncharacteristic manner.

_"_ So, you want to go Gold right away or save something for the crowd later?" Chimaki asked condescendingly.

"Do what you want, just power up already!"

The announcer couldn't stop smiling.  _'This is gonna be a junior final for history. I just know it!'_ "Now, let the final battle… BEGIN!"

With a shrug at Trunks' words, Chimaki obliged, white flames of energy radiated around her as the stadium grounds shook once more. Immediately the arena cracked slowly around her, jagged pieces floating up slowly, the air pressure buffeting the crowd who by now were accustomed to it.

Unimpressed, Trunks just flexed his arms to his side and without a word flicked his own aura to life, but other than a slight tremble in the Earth and radiance of light there was no signs he'd unlocked his power.

"You could at least try Trunks! You given up already?" Chimaki called out with a grin as she reached her upper limit, ceasing the tremors.

"Don't need to show off after the last fight!" Trunks grunted as he settled himself into his usual stance, unusually tense.

_'This is not like him,'_  Chimaki thought with a hint of concern. She'd beaten Trunks plenty of times and had Super Saiyan 2 in the back pocket, but she was hesitant of using it against him, and for the first time he seemed serious in a fight with her. She may have to be seriously careful.

With that thought in the back of her mind, Chimaki vanished only to appear at Trunks's side, unloading with a combination designed to distract with facial strikes followed by lower abdomen blows. Trunks reacted almost instantly and dashed out of the way, firing a small Ki blast to shunt Chimaki back slightly and obscure her vision.

Using the distraction, he charged in with a flying kick only to pass through an afterimage and being clocked on the side of the head by a retaliatory high kick, knocking his head to the side. Twisting, Trunks steadied his legs and lunged forwards, grabbing the front of Chimaki's Gi rather than going for a chop or punch, catching her entirely off guard. With the confusion, he punched her squarely in the face with his free hand twice, causing a small cut on her left cheek, until she kneed him in the stomach, stopping him and allowing a counterattack in which she blasted him skidding on his back across the ring.

Flying straight up to avoid the barrage of Ki blasts Chimaki launched at him, Trunks prepared a Burning Attack and aimed behind his friend. The concussive force knocked her forward where a multi-form clone of his was waiting with kick that sent her careering up to the original Trunks. His hands together, Trunks went to smash Chimaki back to the ground, but went through an afterimage as she used rapid movement to kick him in the collarbone, bruising the area and making him lose the concentration to keep multi-form up.

Darting back, Trunks used a Kiai to keep her back only to instead be blasted with a rapidly fired but weak Kamehameha that did little other than sting and piss him off. Shrugging it off, Trunks went straight at her, opening up with a combination his father said worked on semi-perfect Cell, wide swings with a kick designed to make them jump and then be grabbed. Except this time, it didn't work as Chimaki saw the technique almost as if in slow motion as it was heavily telegraphed. She weaved under all the strikes and punched him in the ribs repeatedly before he grabbed her head and threw her above him and behind him, spinning to deliver a back kick that knocked her away.

"Not bad, Trunks!" Chimaki called out as she rubbed the back of her head, sore from the kick.

"I  _told_ you I'm not playing this time!" Trunks shot back, his cheeky grin briefly flitting across his face before an uncharacteristic scowl replaced it again.

_'What is with hi—'_  Chimaki thought before refocusing on the fight as Trunk's began powering a Big Tree Cannon.  _'Oh no.'_  She groaned. Since she had no time to charge anything to counter, she sped away in hopes of evading it.

Trunks took careful aim at the fleeing target, helped by the fact she couldn't go out of bounds and aimed at where he thought she'd end up rather than where she was. The fiercely bright yellow beam streaked towards her and caught in the shoulder as she rolled under it, singeing her quite badly and causing her to yell out in pain and anger.

"That's it! No more messing around!" Chimaki screamed, incensed at the back and forth nature of the fight and her injury.

With a blinding flash and a quake that rocked the very foundations of the stadium, she pushed into Super Saiyan, the pressure forcing the crowd to uncomfortably press back.

* * *

"Hey, that girl can go gold too!"

"So those kids weren't the only ones, then…"

"What's with the gold thing?!"

"Could it be… the Golden Warriors are back?"

"Maybe? Who knows. I'm just here for amazing fights and that's what I'm getting—in the Junior Division, no less!"

"Hey! You two golden kids! Keep at it!"

* * *

_'Wasteful,'_  Trunks reprimanded to himself as he too went Super Saiyan, only for there to be no flash and no discernible change in the landscape.

_'What is he doing? He can't be at max power right now,'_  Chimaki pondered as she considered what her next move should be.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind and just overpower Trunks, Chimaki rushed him, letting loose with attacks so fast the audience couldn't see them; they just created sonic booms when they landed against Trunks's guard. Feinting, she tried to slip under his guard but he just dropped straight to the ground to avoid her. Chasing after him, she felt a familiar biting pain as Ki balls began to pepper her face and arms. He'd used the distance to launch the same volley of blasts Gotenks uses.

Flying right through the annoyance, she crashed into him fist first, knocking his head to the side with a punch to the cheek, only for him to kick the hip and push her back. Hurt but not that shaken, Trunks counterattacked but lowered his intensity, meaning a lot of the blows simply didn't land, but forced Chimaki to exert herself a lot dodging. He was getting caught quite often, too, but was for the most part able to ignore it. That is, until he noticed a change in Chimaki's pattern, the blows were hurting a lot more, but were coming less often.

He had no time to think about that, though, as Chimaki fired a point blank Masenko that shot him heavily into the arena floor, cracking it like an eggshell.

Getting up, he used an afterimage to try and fool Chimaki and make an opening, but was instead hit with another Masenko; several were being fired by her as fast as she could. Bracing himself and forming a crude Ki barrier, Trunks evaded as best he could, but he was now hurting and his resolve had lessened, making him unable to think of a counterattack, until he noticed what his father had advised him about.

She was breathing much heavier, enough to be visible and sweat had begun to drip down her furrowed brow. She was getting tired and frustrated. She was wearing down. He had a chance now, so long as he did it before she got desperate.

Taking the brunt of the next attack, Trunks used the chance to prepare a much more powerful Big Tree Cannon, which he split into as he fired it between his two hands, only to bring them together in the middle, essentially making the blast three pronged and from a stationary start almost impossible to dodge.

Chimaki was surprised and then enveloped in the massive beam's glow, her shadow could be seen falling towards the ground before halting and righting.

There was a terrifying roar that sent chills down the spectator's spines and the flash seemed to go off again. When the glare cleared the audience saw something different than before, but Trunks was already painfully aware of what had happened at that point.

Chimaki had finally had enough and gone Super Saiyan 2.

"Remember what you said earlier, Trunks! You can't whine about this after that!" Chimaki shouted, louder than usual to compensate for the hum of energy and crackle of lightning around her.

"Yeah, I remember," Trunks replied with discouragement in his voice. His plan had failed, and his father wouldn't be happy. But still, it wasn't over, and he wasn't gonna give up just yet!

"Time to wrap this up!" Chimaki bellowed as she raced towards Trunks, intending to knock him out fast.

What she didn't consider though, is that while her power increased, her stamina did not, and with every minute she stayed in her relatively newer form, it was going to cost her. And Trunks knew that.

She passed straight through an afterimage and wheeled around to locate him, only to be blinded by smoke as Trunks sprayed the dusty ground with low power Ki blasts. He pushed his power out so she couldn't entirely pin-point his energy and location, causing her to fly at shadows already passed by and fire indiscriminately with Kamehamehas that cleared the smoke, revealing the young boy surprisingly close to her.

_'Got him!'_  she triumphantly decided and began to charge another Kamehameha which she'd launch at rapid movement straight into him.

Seeing her arms at her side, Trunks grinned as he usually did when he thought he was being clever, putting his fingers to his eyes.

"Solar Flare!"

Blinded by the new light, Chimaki missed entirely and just poured energy up into the sky so she didn't hit the crowds.

The delay caused by this let Trunks get right to her side and after drawing them back and pumping as much energy he could into them, he stretched his arms out gathering the energy between the upright palms.

Her sight returning and cutting off the Ki flow bringing her sense back to focus, Chimaki turned as if in slow motion to see the start of Trunk's attack slam into her.

_'Oh, not this,'_  she thought before screaming in pain as a very familiar phrase rang out.

"Final Flash, fire!" Trunks bellowed, forcing every ounce of energy he had into the attack, aiming upwards slightly to wash over Chimaki entirely and hopefully force her out of bounds.

He kept screaming as he pushed the attack further and further than he ever had before, desperate to ensure he wouldn't lose, until he simply had nothing left and the energy flowing from him dissipated, his legs shaking and his arms collapsing to his sides. He was barely able to maintain Super Saiyan, his hair briefly flickering lavender once more.

"Did I do it? Did I win?" Trunks asked himself hopefully, too exhausted to keep his tough guy act up and to accurately sense energy.

"Nope. But if it makes you feel better, you got close, very, very close," Chimaki growled as she hovered down back to the ground, having stopped just at the edge of the arena boundary.

A hand pressed to her right side, her Gi torn in places and exposed skin covered in burns and bruises. She looked ready to drop from anguish and fatigue, but the look of burning determination on her face and something close to anger and joy made it apparent to anyone watching; despite her injury, despite her limp and the fact the lighting was barely crackling around her anymore, she had won this fight.

"How?" Trunks asked weakly, attempting to put up his guard but not really managing in his weakened state.

"I had just enough stamina left in the tank to take the first wave of the attack and charge a Kamehameha to weaken and repel the rest. Your plan to drain my energy nearly worked though. You should be proud!" Chimaki explained and then praised, something Trunks wasn't used to. He in turn just nodded, the motion indicating he knew it was over.

With that, Chimaki let go of her side, dashed to Trunks and delivered an uppercut that caused bloody to fly from his mouth and him out of the barely discernible remains of the arena. Powering down and going to his side as he struggled to get up, she saw the sad look on his face that was more than just losing a fight.

"What was with you in there?" She asked, knowing something was getting to him.

"I didn't want to let Dad down. He actually helped me a lot with this when he saw how I was fed up of losing to you, so…" Trunks replied sheepishly, not used to admitting things.

"I'm sure he's not annoyed. Well, he  _will_  be, with me. But not you. He'll have seen you did all you could, you even used his best move," Chimaki encouraged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"Hey, chin up! You did good!" Chimaki insisted, trying to cheer him up. "By the way, did he teach you the Final Flash?" she asked, wondering why Vegeta would teach his son what was essentially a desperation attack.

"No. I learnt it watching his old fights and his training," Trunks replied honestly, still seemingly worried about disappointing his father.

"You did? Woah, that's actually really cool. I'm sure your dad will be amazed for that!" She grinned, ruffling the eight-year-old's hair.

"Hey! Stop that!" Trunks laughed, back to his usual demeanor as he tried to get her to stop messing with his hair. Seems like he found some truth in her words.

The announcer got back on the stage, his glasses reflecting the light from the sun, genuine excitement rolling off him in waves. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! The new Junior Division World Champion is Chimaki!"

The crowd cheered loudly as Chimaki threw her hands up in the air in triumph. She'd known she was the strongest out of her friends, yet she knew she couldn't underestimate the others or else she would've lost. She was proud of herself for winning. "Yes!" Besides her, Trunks began clapping. He was disappointed in his loss, yes, but he was happy for his friend as well.

"Maki, you won!" Goten laughed as he rushed to give his older sister a hug. Even though he'd wanted to win the tournament, he was happy for his sister's victory.

Chimaki laughed and hugged her brother tighter. She knew her father was watching and she was proud of it. She knew this tournament her dad and their friends would make their comeback and she felt she was helping by winning the junior tournament. Surely, people would find out she was Goku's daughter eventually, and when they did, they would realize that she and her friends were strong because of the skilled warriors that had trained them.

* * *

The audience was cheering loudly, but there were some people that still wasn't sure what to think exactly of what they were seeing, and some of them were questioning what they saw with their own eyes.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know—they moved too fast!"

"Is this even real?"

"This could be tricks…"

But the people who remembered the old tournaments, the fans of Goku, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Jackie Chun and maybe to some extent Piccolo (the people that remembered the tournaments remembered him as being evil) cheered loudly in excitement.

"This is what real fighting is like!"

"Yeah! This is like the old tournaments!"

"I've waited so long to see battles like this!"

"This tournament is going to be amazing!"

Most comments, whether supportive or doubtful, were not heard due to the loud cheering of the people who were either fans of the old tournaments or were that much more open minded than what most people who believed Mr. Satan were.

* * *

"Yes!" Chi-Chi raised her fist into the air, startling some of the people around her. "That's my daughter! You showed 'em, Maki!"

"She sure did!" Ox-King exclaimed happily.

"They both did fantastic. It's amazing to see how far these kids have gotten," Roshi observed.

Bulma sighed next to her. She'd hoped Trunks would win, but even though he lost, she was still proud of her little boy. Surely next time he would win!

* * *

"Yeah! Chimaki! That's my girl!" Goku exclaimed proudly.

"She did great!" Gohan grinned widely, obviously proud of his sister. "She deserved to win!"

"Maybe one of your children won this time, Kakarot," Vegeta told his fellow Saiyan. As Chimaki had assured Trunks, he wasn't disappointed in his son. Honestly, he'd impressed him—especially with that last Final Flash. Vegeta was a proud dad, even if he didn't show it much. "But next time, my son shall be victorious!"

"We'll see about that," Raditz grinned. His son wasn't as strong as Trunks, he was aware of that, but his youngest nephew was around Trunks' level and he wouldn't underestimate him.

Videl looked at Gohan's sister celebrating with her brother in the ring and smiled. She was the former Junior Division Champion, and honestly, she couldn't think of a better person to take her title. She and Chimaki were on really friendly terms—Chimaki was nice to her, as well as supportive of her and her relationship with her brother (official or not)—and the fact Chimaki won made Videl feel like they had more in common than before.

* * *

"Damn it. I wanted to win," Trunks grumbled. He'd known Chimaki was stronger but he'd hoped he would've been able to outsmart her or something. Especially since his dad had helped him to come up with a strategy to beat her. He was still disappointed in himself for letting his dad down, but it wasn't dampening his mood anymore. There was always next time, right? "You might've won this time, Maki, but I will be the winner next time!"

"You mean, by the time I'm too old to be part of the Junior Division?" she joked. Daikon and the others had come out of the waiting room to congratulate Chimaki on her victory, and now all the young Z-Fighters were standing in the ring with the announcer.

"No, he won't! You might've beaten me this time, Trunks, but next time  _I'll_ win!" Goten exclaimed with a grin.

Trunks grinned back at his best friend. "We'll see about that!"

The announcer grinned as he watched the kids argue who would win next time. By now, Kytsu and Daikon had kicked into Goten and Trunks' conversation, and now they were all bickering and laughing, making jokes and being kids in general. It reminded him of Goku, Krillin and Yamcha back in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. Goku and Krillin had been so young back then, and yet they were so powerful. The same happened with the next generation.

_'Goku doesn't stop surprising me. I should've known one of his kids would win this thing!'_ Seeing such spectacular fighting in the Junior Division only made the announcer more excited for what was to come. These children were amazing, but adults had more experience and they would be fighting in the ring soon!  _'This tournament is going to be so awesome!'_ "There were many kids in this competition that showed great power, so you better remember their names, because I'm sure we will be hearing them for a long time to come!"

The audience cheered loudly. "Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer continued. "Before we get to the adult competition, we're going to have our exhibition match between our new Junior Division Champion, Chimaki, and the current World Martial Arts Champion, Mr. Satan!"

Even though the audience had very different opinions regarding the children's odd superpowers, they were all (or at least, most of them were) fans of Hercule, and as such they all began to cheer loudly at the prospect of seeing their World Champion fight.

* * *

_'I can't believe this!'_ Hercule was pissed, and he could feel himself panic. Actually, even though he tried to ignore it, he's been panicking since witnessing part of Goten and Trunks' fight; but now that he knew just  _who_  the Champion was, it only worsened.

Not only was the seven-year-old son of Goku and that other kid were fighting with those little tricks of theirs (which darkened his mood exponentially), but he just found out that the girl he could recognize as Goku's twelve-year-old daughter (he'd managed to catch a glimpse of her in the Bring Your Family to School Day) was the one who somehow managed to win the Junior Division.

_'Probably with tricks,'_ he thought angrily, wondering why they even permitted such a thing. The audience seemed to dig it though, so there was nothing he could do about it. He could only hope that maybe Goku's daughter wouldn't use those tricks on him, but he was quite sure she remembered how he'd challenged her father during the Bring Your Family to School Day, and he doubted that would be the case.  _'If that girl uses one of those tricks of theirs with me to try and honor her father or something, I'm dead!'_

He wanted to defeat Goku, and he was sure he would be able to, but seeing those little kids fight and knowing they were using those tricks made him reconsider.  _'No. No, I got it all wrong. They're just tricks. They have to be using tricks. Just like Cell…'_ Deep inside he knew he hadn't defeated Cell, that he hadn't been strong enough and yet he'd lied about it, but he was at the point in which he believed his own lies.  _'They're using tricks, and they're just kids. It's nothing to worry about. You're just freaking out over nothing. They put on a good show, but their tricks can't possibly work on me. I'm the World Champion! I can't be defeated by such bullshit!'_

With that in mind, Mr. Satan managed to get rid of his nerves and gain his confidence back in full force. He would win. No, actually, he would let her win! That should get to the audience! Besides, children should not have to pay for their parents' mistakes. It wasn't Chimaki's fault that she was raised by a trickster. He'd let her win, and everyone would be amazed at how good he was. And then, in the adult division, when he faced her father, he would finally get his chance to defeat the former World Martial Arts Champion once and for all!

* * *

"Well, this isn't gonna be much of a fight," Goku laughed. "Whatddya think this guy'll do next?"

"He's probably gonna claim it's all a trick," Yamcha snickered.

"Dude, better not blink, or you'll miss the fight!" Krillin joked.

They all laughed and continued to make jokes on Hercule. All except for Videl, who was quietly watching the ring as the Z-Fighters cracked jokes about her father. Mr. Satan was the World Savior to most of the world, but to the Z-Fighters he was a laughing stock, and Videl was trying not to get offended by that. She knew they had every right to makes jokes about the man that stole all their credit and credibility.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked quietly. He thought the joking they were making was hilarious, but he understood that it wasn't for Videl. Liar or not, Hercule was her father, and despite all his flaws, he really did his best for Videl.

Videl shrugged. "As okay as I can be, I guess. I just hope Chimaki doesn't obliterate him." She knew her father would be going out, but she would rather have him going out in the adult division with some dignity left instead of being defeated by a twelve-year-old. A very powerful twelve-year-old, that could probably destroy her, but still.

"Nah, I don't think she will," Gohan assured her. "Chimaki cares about you enough not to humiliate him."

"That's good." She smiled. She kind of found a sister in Chimaki, and she was glad it seemed that the Son girl thought the same. "I just hope my dad doesn't make a big deal out of this…"

* * *

"Our Champion, Mister Satan, is about to appear!" the announcer exclaimed. He turned to look at the new Junior Division Champion. "Chimaki, would you like to rest before the match begins?" He was sure she wouldn't need it, but he wanted to make sure.

Chimaki shook her head and smiled. "Nah, I'm fine. Don't worry."  _'This is a stupid match. I don't even wanna be here to begin with. I really want him to show him who he's been messing with all these years, but he's Videl's dad. I'll go easy on him. He's gonna get obliterated in the adult division anyway. I just hope my dad is the one who gets to beat him!'_

"Okay then. Then, without further ado, Mister Satan! If you please?"

Mr. Satan came out, and the crowd went wild when they saw him. He walked with this air of might around him, throwing his hands up with peace signs when he was standing in the middle of the ring. "You're a brave girl, gettin' the opportunity to fight with the World Champ! Mister Satan! Yeah!" The audience cheered as Hercule dramatically got rid of the cape and tightened his belt. After that, he began to show off his martial arts abilities, and the audience loved it.

_'Can we get this over with?'_ Chimaki was really getting impatient.  _'I don't even understand this audience. They were cheering for us, but they're impressed with this? Maybe they're like Videl—they're holding onto the truth, or what they think it's true. Could that be it? I don't know. People are weird.'_

Hercule looked at the young girl that was standing in front of him. _'Okay, so I'm gonna pretend to lose, but what should I do? Should I just let her punch me? No. No, she's the daughter of a former Martial Arts Champion. Even though her father is a trickster, I should at least give her a chance. Yeah, I'll do that!'_

The announcer stood next to Goten, Trunks, and the other kids as they watched the match. None of them expected much. In fact, most of them low-key joked about the World Champion, much like the adults were doing. They mostly just stayed there to wait for Chimaki. After all, they all knew who was the strongest between the two fighters.

"Let the exhibition match begin!"

Hercule grinned. "Come on then. Come at me!"

Chimaki really wanted to punch him with enough strength to send him flying out of the ring and into a wall, but she remembered she wanted to make it a smooth as possible for Videl's sake. So she faked her attacks, making sure that Hercule would be able to dodge them all, but still keeping him on his toes.

_'Shit! This kid is good.'_ Hercule didn't want to admit that he was getting a bit tired.  _'Maybe I should give Son Goku a little more credit. His daughter isn't all tricks… Well, whatever, I should end this!'_

Mr. Satan was trying to figure out a realistic way of faking falling out of the ring, but he didn't have to, because Chimaki got bored pretty quickly and opted to punch him out of the ring. It wasn't strong enough to make serious damage, but she managed to send him flying and the punch and the fall hurt, even though she did try to hold back.

Hercule didn't know what happened exactly. He was on the ring and then, suddenly, he was on the floor, out of the ring.  _'Did I… fake it?'_ Considering the silence that seemed to invade the arena, he guessed he did a pretty good job. But it fucking hurt!  _'Well, it surely hurts a lot considering I was just pretending! Maybe I'm too good at this…'_ He stood up, despite the pain (and damn it, it  _hurt_!), and laughed. "What a punch, man! You surely are a strong girl! She beat me up, fair and square!"

The announcer was quiet for a moment.  _'Is he for real? I know Chimaki didn't go all out, but did he plan on letting her win…?'_ "Well, that was it! Chimaki has won the match against the World Champion!"

The audience cheered loudly. Everyone thought Hercule let Chimaki win, and they were all charmed by Mr. Satan's good will.

Chimaki's eyes bucked.  _'Is he even aware that I really beat him or does he think he's pretending? Either way, he acts like it doesn't hurt at all. And he survived when Cell slapped him into a mountain. And he survived the whole Majin Buu thing…'_ She knew Hercule was a weakling, but he managed to surprise her with his tolerance of pain and his dumb luck.  _'Maybe we should give the man a little bit of credit. He sure knows how to take a punch and act as it was nothing…'_

* * *

"I'm starting to think your dad has this strange ability of walking into fights he's completely outclassed in and yet somehow he always comes out of it alive," Gohan commented.

Videl laughed a little. "Maybe that's true. I guess my dad has this dumb luck thing going on. I'm just glad Chimaki didn't destroy him."

"Oh, he sure is such a gentleman," Krillin said sarcastically, snickering. "I bet he had it  _all_ planned. He should get an award or something."

* * *

When Hercule got to his private room, he laid on his bed, and then he closed his eyes, trying to focus on something other than the pain.  _'God damn it, I'm too good. I actually managed to hurt myself in the process! No matter thought. I'm gonna be okay by the time the tournament's Senior Division starts. I'll be okay so I can beat Son Goku and show him what a real Champion is like!'_ This thought was enough to motivate Hercule and he smiled, despite the pain he was feeling. He had waited too long for this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, the Junior Division is done and we're finally going to the Senior Division! So look forward to that! :D
> 
> (Hopefully it won't take as long but you know, I don't even wanna promise anything anymore XD)
> 
> I sincerely hope you all liked this chapter, and that you will like what's coming up ahead! :)
> 
> Until next time!


End file.
